Businessman Sachel Kungebeharry's mother begs kidnappers: Give me back my son

THE MOTHER of a Cunupia businessman who was kidnapped over a week ago, is pleading with those involved, to return him alive to his family. Three policemen are in custody assisting investigators with the case. A marked police vehicle has also been impounded.

Sitting in her Cunupia home on Thursday, Lyncia Hansranah made a heartfelt appeal to those responsible for taking away her son Sachel Kungebeharry, a used car dealer.

"Don't matter how they release him or what position he is in now, send him back home to us. I pleading with all the kidnappers and them to send him back home to his family. We don't mind we loss that money already, we not concerned about money, nothing or anybody. We want our son back," she cried.

To her son, Hansranah said: "Come home if you can, son. We love you."

Kungebeharry and two other men were travelling in a car when it was blocked by a marked police car with flashing blue lights along Jerningham Railway Road, around 5 pm, on September 25.

Three men, two of whom were dressed in what appeared to be police tactical uniforms, searched Kungebeharry and told him they had a warrant for his arrest. He was placed in the police car which sped off. Police later confirmed that a ransom demand was made and $500,000 was dropped of at a location. But Kungebeharry remains unaccounted for.

Hansranah said the family was alerted to his "arrest" but soon realised something was not right after they were unable to locate him at several police stations they had gone to. She said the family's checks also revealed there was no warrant out for his arrest.

However, she said the day after he was taken away, the family received a call with the $500,000 demanded for her son's safe return and for the police and media to be kept out.

She said she wanted to contact the police, but her children and other relatives were worried for Kungebeharry's safety and his life should the kidnappers' orders be disobeyed.

After receiving voice notes of Kungebeharry, as proof of life, Hansranah said the family sold several vehicles in her son's possession in order to raise the $500,000 demanded by the kidnappers. She said the ransom was paid close to midnight on Sunday.

"We had to sell vehicles and sell other things to make up that amount of money up. Let me be clear, it's not like we had the money lying around," the worried woman said.

She said her son was not released after the money was dropped off and the kidnappers have stopped contacting the family. She and her other relatives do not know if Kungebeharry is even alive still as the last proof of life, were the voice-notes sent to the family before the ransom was paid.

Hansranah said the kidnappers not only took away her son, but also her peace of mind and serenity.

"I am concerned. I am afraid. Not only for my son but I am scared for my family's safety and my own safety...because I don't know what could happen."

Regarding the arrest of the three Central Division police officers, Hansranah said she believes there are other accomplices still out and about and this has led her to fear for her family's safety. For this reason, she begged the police to institute regular patrols in the area where she lives.

Two days after the incident, the Police Service said in a release that it was treating the incident "seriously" and had launched a "comprehensive" investigation.

On October 1, investigators impounded a marked police car from the Caroni Police Station which they suspect was used in the kidnapping.

On October 3, investigators from the Professional Standards Bureau and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit detained three Central Division police officers, two of whom were based at Caroni Police Station.

Despite these arrests, Hansranah said she was very dissatisfied with how the police were treating her son's kidnapping.

"The communication (with investigators) isn't what I think, what I'm looking forward to getting from them. I know they are working on it but at least let us know what is going on regularly. Inform us as to the latest. I know everything takes time but now that you have people in custody, you should know that they are involved."

"Now that you all have that, why it is that you all not getting...to a closure?"

Hansranah admitted that while not every police officer is bad and that there are many honest, hard-working officers, the incident and the arrest of the three, had shaken her trust in the Police Service.

"Who do you look to, to assist we the citizens when the police service is corrupt and involved in crime? Some of them are the criminals, so how could anybody really trust them?

"I don't know how to fix it, but I think they need to be more serious with the people them who are coming into the service and they (need to do) background check."

Hansranah isn't the only one speaking about a breakdown in trust in the TTPS.

Several central businessmen have called for – according to a Newsday story dated October 3 – “disruptive measures” to deal with corruption and criminality within the police service.

Pointing to the murder rate, head of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce Baldath Maharaj told Newsday on October 2, that public trust in the police service was already low and that the TTPS needed to immediately treat criminality among its own ranks very seriously, even if it meant using harsh measures.

“They should do psychometric assessment, lie detector tests and drug testing for selected people. That should be on a random, ongoing basis, so that there will always be a fear that whenever there's a hidden agenda, doing a psychometric assessment and lie detector test would reveal things like that,” he said, according to the Newsday story dated October 3.

He said Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher also needs to speak out and address the damage to the public's confidence this incident had caused.

Newsday was unable to get an update on the status of investigations not only into Kungebeharry's kidnapping but also the latest with the three detained officers, with senior police sources saying the matters were at a "sensitive stage."

Up to press time, neither Commissioner Harewood-Christopher nor any member of her executive team in the TTPS has publicly commented on the arrests of the three officers and impounding of a marked police vehicle.

There has been a similar wall of silence from National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, while all Minister in the National Security Ministry Keith Scotland, would say, according to Newsday's October 3 story, was that he could not comment as the case was before the courts. Told that no one had been charged, Scotland said that in that case, he could not comment because investigations were at a sensitive stage.