Senior Reporter
shane.superville.co.tt
Police last night rescued a mother and daughter who were kidnapped hours earlier from their Maraval home.
Officers from the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and Anti-Gang Unit reportedly found Petrina Hernandez, 45, and her 19-year-old daughter, Amelia Roberts, off the Lady Young Road in Morvant last night.
Police confirmed that both women were found safe, noting Roberts had only minor injuries. They were later taken to a private hospital for further examination.
Earlier, the peace and quiet of Andalusia Drive, Maraval, was shattered when Hernandez and Roberts were snatched from their home around 4 am.
Several men reportedly stormed into the house, accosted them and then ransacked the home. Both women were then taken out of the home and bundled into a vehicle.
Three vehicles, a black Nissan Cefiro, a brown Hyundai Tucson and a silver Toyota Yaris, were also stolen from where they were parked outside the house.
The vehicles were later found abandoned in St Barb’s, Laventille, near the basketball court.
The house, which is located down an incline off the road, faces the Maraval River from the rear side.
Investigators suspect the attackers may have accessed the community using the river.
The community, which is gated, is only accessible to vehicles via a guard booth facing the Saddle Road.
However, sources disclosed that the guards are usually only on duty after dark.
Guardian Media visited the neighbourhood yesterday afternoon as police officers from various units were still conducting early investigations, including a walk-through of the home and questioning relatives.
However, all of the victims’ relatives declined to speak to reporters.
Guardian Media understands a ransom was demanded in Us dollars for the safe release of Hernandez and her daughter.
A male relative, who was abroad at the time of the incident, was told of the attack and was said to be returning to Trinidad last night.
Contacted for comment while the probe was still early yesterday, Snr Supt Sean Henry, of the Western Division, confirmed that Maraval police first received a report of the incident.
He said the police and other law enforcement agencies had been engaged and were pursuing several leads.
“Due to the sensitive nature and state of the investigation at this time, I’ll be unable to reveal much more,” Henry told Guardian media via a telephone interview.
“But be assured that as the investigation develops and more information is gathered and verified, the public will be updated and informed in a timely manner.”
While Guardian Media was in the neighbourhood, most residents remained in their homes and did not come outside to look, even as officers were seen walking through the area searching for any clues that may have been left behind.
However, one neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident was shocking, noting that this was the first time such an incident had happened in the community.
“This is totally unheard of. It’s almost like a movie. You don’t hear about these kinds of things around here at all,” the man said.
“People normally keep to themselves around here. For years you can stay in a neighbourhood and not know who is living next door but we still feel it when something like this happens.”
Another resident said the situation had left him and his family deeply traumatised, adding they were too afraid to leave home.
The resident noted, though, that residents had heard commotion in the area and circulated it in a WhatsApp group.
“We originally thought it was a break-in like a burglary or something but only after the fact we heard it was a kidnapping,” he said.
“I don’t want to leave home right now. This wild situation is just too ridiculous.”
The investigation involved officers of the Western Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
