CoP visits Ria Sookdeo's family

FRANKIE Rajkumar’s two years of grief for his missing daughter Ria Sookdeo were brightened by a glimmer of hope when Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith visited on Tuesday.

Griffith kept his promise to meet with the family after Rakjumar appealed for his help to solve Sookdeo’s mysterious disappearance on September 22, 2016.

Griffith said he is seeking international help to find Sookdeo and other missing people.

In an interview with Newsday after kidnap vicim Natalie Pollonais' rescue, Rajkumar, 66, said he had some “shocking details” about his daughter’s personal life that she had kept hidden from her parents and siblings.

“I have found out some things that can make any father’s heart hurt and I want to let the police know.

"After all this time we still pray for her and wish that she could come home,” Rajkumar said at that time.

He told Newsday he spoke to Griffith yesterday.

Griffith met with Sookdeo’s parents on Tuesday and the family revealed their suspicions and information, including certain similarities between Sookdeo's and Pollonais’ kidnapping.

The hairdresser was abducted by men dressed in police tactical gear, near her children’s primary school, after she dropped them off. Several people were detained and questioned but no one was ever arrested or charged with her kidnapping. No ransom was ever demanded.

Sookdeo was married to Mark Sookdeo, with whom she had two children, Elena, now 11, and Torres, seven. It is not certain whether Griffith spoke with her husband, who also told Newsday earlier he would be grateful if his family could get closure on Ria’s case.

In a CNC3 interview on Wednesday, Griffith confirmed the meeting with the Rajkumars. He said he has formed the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit to deal with situations like that.

The CoP also said, “We need international assistance, we need support. There are so many families out there with missing persons, there are cold cases and people want answers or they need closure.

“The fact is, it cannot be done without having a specific unit. So I am utilising international systems from the British and the United States to try to assist us to deal with missing persons and cold cases, to solve many crimes and to prevent others from taking place.”

Touching on the public outrage about his personal response to a call from Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte when the latter was stopped by the police on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, Griffith said the majority of people who have missing loved ones and need his help are average law-abiding citizens.

“They are not ministers. The majority of these people are average, law-abiding citizens who have been hurt, who have lost their loved ones.

"I am willing to do what is required and run my blood to water for each and every law-abiding citizen in this country,” he pledged.