Bandits dressed as police terrorise Moruga family

BANDITS dressed in police and tactical gear unleashed a reign of terror on a Moruga family on the night of October 14, leaving them traumatised.

Moruga businessman Terrance Thomas is now thanking God for sparing his life and those of his family, after he was kidnapped by four men who identified themselves as police on the night of October 14 when they invaded his home and workplace, searching for arms and ammunition and a safe.

Thomas, 55, of St Mary's Village, Moruga, said the men assaulted and terrorised him, his wife and their four daughters for some 30 minutes, which seemed like an eternity.

Thomas said he was handcuffed, pushed, shoved, gagged and robbed by the "officers,” who held a gun to his head and threatened to kill him because he was "asking too many questions."

The hands of his terrified wife and daughters were also bound behind their backs with tie straps. They were made to lie face down on the ground as the bandits threatened to kill him.

Thomas said he did not know if the men were real or fake police officers, but it has left him uncertain who to trust or turn to in times of trouble.

“What should I do if people dressed like police...say they are indeed police and they have a warrant to enter my place? Should I take them at their word? No?” he said during an interview with the media on October 15 at his Moruga home.

“If I have a weapon, a cutlass, something violent might happen. If it is the real police, innocent people might get hurt.

“There has to be a way for law abiding citizens to identify the real McCoy, because you can't tell who is real and who is fake.”

Of the men who attacked his family he said, “If they were not real, they real trained, because they were dressed like police, talking like police, moving like police.”

Thomas is the second businessman to be kidnapped by men wearing police gear in the last week.

Police are searching for another Cunupia businessman, Suvesh “Cooksie” Ramnarine, 33, who was snatched from a bar in the district on October 12 by five armed men who were also dressed in police tactical uniforms with the word "POLICE.”

A $3 million ransom has been demanded for Ramnarine's safe return.

Recounting the horror, Thomas who owns Top Shotters Furniture shop at Douglas Trace, St Mary’s Village, said around 9 pm, he went to take a bath after work, and left one of the workers, Lester Placide, packing up his tools.

He said when he returned to the work area, he called out to Placide, but was instead confronted by armed men wearing camouflage clothing, ski masks and gloves, who said they had a warrant to search the premises.

Thomas said he asked to see and read the warrant, and asked their names and badge numbers.

For talking too much, he was struck on his head and had a gun held to the back of his neck. His hands were roughly pulled behind his back and handcuffed while he was searched. His wallet, which held $1,600, US$200, his ID card and driver's permit, was taken.

One of the men snatched a gold chain from his neck, which he said he paid a shilling for many years ago, but is now valued around $20,000, and put it in his pocket.

The men then demanded the keys to Thomas' white Toyota Hilux Revolution van and his AD Wagon.

He was bundled into the Hilux, which was driven by one of the men dressed in camouflage, while another dressed as a police officer, sat behind him with the gun aimed at his back. Placide was tied up and put in the trunk of a Hyundai Elantra.

Both vehicles made their way to Thomas' home a short distance away.

At the home, the assailants snatched the remote control for the gate, banged on the door and madeThomas' family open up when they saw him and Placide being held at gunpoint through their CCTV camera.

The bandits then barged into the house, where they bound the hands of his wife and screaming daughters, 28, 20, 15 and 11, and made them lie on the floor.

They seized the cellphones of all family members, an iPhone 14 along with several Samsungs, gold jewellery, plus a further $1,100.

Thomas said all the time the bandits kept demanding access to a safe which he continually denied he had, and that is when they threw him on a bed and threatened to kill him for not co-operating.

“I thought I was going to die. I started praying and begging God to spare my life, because I did not want to die yet.”

He said after some 30 minutes, the men left in his Hilux and with the keys to two of his other vehicles and the remote control to his gate.

His family then rushed outside and started screaming for help. A neighbour who is also a police officer came to their aid, removed their bindings and called the Moruga police.

A statement was taken from Thomas, but  no search was done because only one investigator wasa on duty.

On the morning of October 15, Thomas said, he got up early and with family and friends started a search for his vehicle, which was found in Lengua, and the iPhone, which was found near Mandingo Junction.

He said he alerted the police to their find. Crime-scene investigators PC's Nandoo and Boodram visited and processed the scene, but no workable prints were found, as the bandits were gloved.

MP for the area Michelle Benjamin said she was outraged by the incident and deeply concerned about the escalating and unprecedented level of crime overtaking the country.

“When criminals can impersonate law-enforcement officers and commit heinous acts, it is a clear indication that we are losing control of our communities.

“The PNM Government’s lack of effective action and failure to equip our police force with the resources they need is placing the lives of innocent citizens at risk.

“People are fearful in their own homes, and that is simply unacceptable. I call for an urgent review of the police operations in rural areas and demand an immediate increase in police presence in Moruga/Tableland, as well as comprehensive crime-fighting strategies to protect our vulnerable citizens.

She called for the St Mary’s Police Post to be turned into an adequately staffed and resourced full police station.

Calls and messages to ASP Wayne Mystar and Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher for a response to alleged police involvement in criminal acts received no response.

PC Burton is continuing enquiries.