A Penal family believed to have been kidnapped from their home has been rescued.
Confirmation was made to the T&T Guardian by Commissioner of Police (CoP) Gary Griffith earlier today.
However, details surrounding the rescue remain uncertain at this time, but a release issued by the T&T Police Service (TTPS) confirmed the family was rescued at Scale No. 4 along the New Colonial Road in Barrackpore.
The family is currently at the San Fernando General Hospital undergoing medical treatment.
The T&T Guardian understands that the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKU), Special Operations Response Team (SORT), Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) were called in after a report was made by neighbours about what they had heard at the family house on Friday night. The intelligence-led operation was headed by Griffith and coordinated by the National Command Centre.
It was reported that at about 7.30 am on Saturday, Aaron Sooknanan, 26, his Venezuelan-born wife Paola Sanchez Sooknanan, 26 and their children Ricardo, five and Isabella, three, went missing from their Jhulai Trace, Penal Rock Road home.
According to a report, Aaron’s mother Zalaca Sooknanan went to the Penal Police Station around 7.30 am Saturday and reported that she had received a phone call from her son’s neighbour, who said they had not seen him or his family for the morning and believed something was wrong since they had heard screams at the house earlier Saturday.
Sgt Gokool, Sgt Jaggernauth, PC Khalil and PC Deonarine, of the Penal CID, immediately went to the house and found no one home but discovered the house was ransacked.
The officers later heard that six men broke into the family’s house between 2 am and 3 am. The family’s Hyundai Tucson was also missing. Calls were made to Aaron and Paola’s phone but there were no responses.
T&T Guardian will update this story as more information comes to hand.
