Elderly man, beaten, kidnapped, thrown overboard

Police are investigating the assault and kidnapping of a 70-year-old Sangre Grande watchman after he was beaten, kidnapped and thrown off a boat by bandits on Thursday.

Police said the man was at Brooks Trace, Leemond, Fishing Pond, at around 7.30 am watching over two boats owned by a contracting company. Eight masked men came along the river in two boats and some of them beat the watchman and took him aboard one of their boats while the other men untied the company's boats from their moorings and went down the river.

The watchman claimed the bandits threw him overboard when they reached a certain point along the river.

He swam to shore and told villagers what happened.

Members of the Eastern Division Special Operations Unit went to the scene and found the two boats along the river near Leemond Road.