Although kidnap victim Maria Dass-Supersad was successfully rescued unharmed from her kidnappers on Wednesday night and two suspects were held, investigators are expected to interview a close male relative as their investigations continue.
Dass-Supersad was too traumatised when Guardian Media attempted to speak to her yesterday. Her husband Vikash Supersad, when contacted, said the family was also not ready to comment yesterday but promised that a statement was being prepared for distribution to the media by today (Friday).
However, a relative, who wished not to be identified said that after being treated at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mount Hope on Wednesday night, when Dass-Supersad came home “she was too distraught and shaken up to say anything...she just mentioned that she remembered walking several miles up a mountain before she was placed in the house where she was being held captive.”
Dass-Supersad was said to have opted not to go to her Lange Park, Chaguanas home to rest yesterday and instead went to Port-of-Spain, where a heavily armed police officer was assigned to keep guard outside her apartment to ensure she was comfortable and felt safe.
Another close relative of hers thanked God that she was “not harmed in any way or mistreated while being held captive.”
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, who was praised by Dass-Supersad’s mother, Radhica, for his officers’ quick work, yesterday said he was pleased at how quickly they were able to rescue her and was glad she was also unharmed.
Griffith described the five-hour operation as a “powerful intelligence gathering that incorporated all the different arms in the TTPS including the Special Operations Team, Special Branch, Inter-Agency Task Force and intelligence agencies led by ACP Jacob.”
He said he coordinated the efforts from the Command Centre and then made his way to Caura, “deep in the forest” for the actual extraction where two suspects were held.
“This is the sixth kidnapping and all were returned to their families unharmed without any ransom being paid,” Griffith said.
He, however, expressed disappointment at some people who took to social media to suggest the police were affording affluent citizens better treatment than those of the lower class who were in similar situations.
“I think it was classless, it was embarrassing that citizens could try to put an avenue like this in a situation like this. The TTPS under my command will continue to ensure that each and every citizen be protected and they would be served by the police service with pride,” Griffith said.
“We do not see politics, we do not see race, we do not see ethnic composition, we provided all the resources that we could have for those five hours and yet again we were able to do what many people did not think that we would have achieved.
“I am not saying that we would be successful in each and every operation but what we will do is try our best at all times and we would do what is required to bring this country back to what it should be.”
Dass-Supersad, who is currently assigned to The UWI’s Institute of International Advancement, was said to be on her way to pick up her six-year-old daughter when she was kidnapped near the university’s North Gate at about 3.07 pm Wednesday. Her car was blocked by a Nissan Tiida, license number PDK 9561, and two men, one dressed in a police outfit the other in a camouflage outfit, got out, grabbed her and bundled her into their car. The men then shot at students and the security guard on duty at the north entrance as they escaped. The license plate number was later discovered to be false, the police confirmed.
The two suspects, who were arrested, are said to be in their early 20s and from Diego Martin. Up to last night they were still in police custody undergoing interrogation.
Investigations are continuing.