[UPDATED] After father's plea, abducted teen Zaheer Samuel released

TEENAGER Zaheer Samuel has been released by his abductors.

His father William confirmed this to Newsday at 12.20 am on December 19.

Newsday understands after his abductors released the 14-year-old schoolboy, who was snatched and forced into a car early on Wednesday morning, police took him to the Arima District Hospital  for a check-up.

He was  taken from outside the family business, SS Plant and Garden Shop, off the Eastern Main Road in St Augustine.

There will be further updates when more information on this developing story comes to hand.

This story was originally published with the title Father of abducted St Augustine 14-year-old: Give me back my son and has been updated to include additional details. See original post below.

ST AUGUSTINE businessman William Samuel is pleading with the men who abducted his son to release him unharmed.

Fourteen-year-old Zaheer Samuel was snatched by two gunmen at around 5.30 am on December 18 outside his father’s businessplace, S&S Plant and Garden Shop on the Eastern Main Road.

Zaheer had arrived minutes before, and was helping his parents offload plants and prepare the shop for their daily sales.

As he took a plant off the truck, a brown Toyota Fielder wagon pulled up and two men with guns got out and forced him into the car.

Zaheer has since been released by his abductors.

Hearing his wife’s screams, but unsure of what was happening, Samuel rushed outside and threw a concrete plant pot at the car as it drove off, but that was not enough to stop the abductors.

He said if he knew exactly what was happening, he would have aimed for the windscreen.

Recalling the incident, Samuel said everything happened quickly.

“We had parked and he was offloading. I heard the commotion and the screams, but by the time I came out, they were going with him. It was fast, almost like they were trained or something.”

He said the abductors drove to the nearby traffic light and waited for it to change before crossing the Priority Bus Route and heading along Evans Street.

Samuel got into his van and tried to follow the car but lost sight of it along Evans Street.

He pleaded with the abductors to release Zaheer, who turns 15 next week.

Samuel said his son is an avid sports lover and follows his school’s teams everywhere.

“Zaheer going St George’s College. He just started form four. He likes his cricket and football and organises when the school has games to go with the coach.
"He is a real quiet little boy. I can't see why you want to come and just take my son just so.

“We don't do nobody nothing. We don't rob nobody. We give charity, because we are Muslim. So I don't know what they want.”

He said he had got no calls from the abductors and has no money to pay a ransom.

“Where we will get the money from? The little money we have, we looked to buy and invest in our plants. Most of the time the plants stay back until after the Christmas and we end up hoping that in January some people get money and come and spend a little $100 or something. We have nothing.”

Samuel said this is not the first time the family has been affected by crime. He said his wife was robbed last year outside the store and the bandit drove off with her car.

He said the suspect was an employee’s relative and was killed in Morvant "not too long" after the robbery.

Samuel said despite the robbery and the amount of crime in the country, he never expected to  experience something so harrowing.

“It ent easy. You always hear about it but…They raff my little son this morning.

“How could they just come and put a gun by my son’s head, a little boy, and go with him? What is this place really coming to?”

Samuel said although he is trying to focus on getting back his son, he cannot help but worry about the mental trauma Zaheer will face.

“You know what drama they putting that little boy through, possibly for the rest of his life? We ent know what will go on with him, and if he could even go back to studying his schoolwork.

“We ent know what drama they might put him through. But it's hard (to think about right now).”

Samuel said he is comforted by the support from family members, fellow Muslims and people on social media.

“We feel strong. We now had (Hunters) Search and Rescue talking with us too. They came and it pepped me up. It made me feel better.”

Samuel said he kept his shop open so family, friends and well-wishers could visit to show their support.

He added, “Not everybody who wants to be there for us know where we live.

“Besides, if I were to take his mother home, it will just be us in the house there, and I'm not sure how she will deal with that."

Samuel was moved to tears as he recalled his most recent conversation with Zaheer.

“This morning when I saw him, I asked, ‘Papa, you ent going?’

“He was on the bed with his phone and had already changed his clothes and was waiting for me because I am usually the last one to leave the house.

“I locked up, walked outside, and then we came here and he started to pack out the van – and this happened.”

He said Zaheer planned to spend some time with his sister on Wednesday, hunting for a Christmas gift for his mother.

“He and his sister said they wanted to deal with their mother’s gift today. He was so happy, because he helps his mother and she gives him a little change. You know when you're getting a little money in your pocket, you're happy and thankful.”

Samuel pleaded with the abductors to release his son and said it is the only gift he wants this Christmas.

“Let go my son. I begging, please release him. We ent have no money to say we have money.

“I’m pleading, let him go and I will be nice with that. Next week is his birthday and he will be 15. At least let me spend a good Christmas and birthday with my son.

“I’m pleading with allyuh. Please let go my son. He ent do nobody anything and he ent bad. Please let him go.”

In a media release on December 18, St Augustine MP Khadijah Ameen said Zaheer’s abduction was an alarming reminder of the growing insecurity plaguing the country.

“The brazen kidnapping of a child from his family business not only strikes fear into the hearts of every citizen but also highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to combat the increasing wave of criminal activity in our communities.”

Ameen called on the authorities to expedite their efforts to find Zaheer and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The safety of our children and families must be a top priority. This level of brazenness cannot become normalised.”

She also repeated her pleas for the reinstatement of a police mobile unit in Curepe and surrounding areas. Ameen said the unit would play a critical role in deterring crime.

Zaheer is the second person to be abducted in less than a week.

On December 14, Zahir Khan, 71, was snatched from his home in Bamboo Grove, Valsayn. He was found alive in an abandoned shack in Caledonia two days later. Police believe his captors fled before they could be caught, and left him behind.

The other most recent high-profile kidnapping also ended in relief when Warrenville businessman Suvesh Ramnarine, 33, was freed last month after being held captive for almost a month.

Ramnarine was kidnapped on October 12 around 7.10 pm while liming at Rob's Bar on the Southern Main Road in Cunupia.

His family received a ransom demand of $3 million, but it is unclear whether any money was paid.

He was freed before dawn on November 6, and was reportedly in good health.