Cop among six held for kidnapping fisherman

POLICE arrested six people, including a policeman and a woman, after Monday’s kidnapping of La Brea fisherman Kenny Soogrim, 46.

The Sangre Grande cop, who is a member of the municipal police, was detained late Wednesday by police from the Eastern Division. The suspects, five of whom are from Mayaro, are between 25 and 60. They remained in custody up to late yesterday.

ASP Anderson Pariman led an exercise which ended in the arrests.

Reports are that three men, two dressed in police tactical uniform, took Soogrim from the family’s home at La Brea at about 3 am on Monday under the pretext of arresting him for marijuana possession. Soogrim, the father of two from Union Road, was handcuffed and taken away in a car. Sometime later the kidnappers telephoned a relative demanding US $50,000 for his safe release, then called back 20 minutes later demanding TT$100,000 instead.

But on Wednesday at about 2 pm, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU) and the Eastern Division rescued Soogrim in Mayaro. They found him handcuffed in an abandoned shack in a forested area, off Ocean Sand Road. Police took him to the Mayaro health facility for a check-up and he later reunited with relatives.

Relatives said that no ransom was paid and that he remained traumatised over the ordeal. His wife and their two children and were not at home on Wednesday when the kidnappers took him away. This is because they are on vacation in Venezuela.

Police from the AKU are expected to take statements from the suspects.