A 37-year-old soldier, held for last Monday’s violent robbery of a Mayaro family, has been released from police custody.
Despite one of the victims previously pointing out the soldier as one of six men who tied up and robbed him and his family, police said he failed to identify the soldier during a lineup on Saturday.
However, investigators suspect that the victims fear for their safety following the attacks.
The soldier, attached to the T&T Defence Force’s Cumuto base, was stationed at the Mayaro Police Station for assignment to joint patrols.
According to a report, the family, who owns a hardware, was at home in Mafeking Village at 4.55 pm on November 20 when a black SUV with blue swivel lights pulled up. Six men, one in plain clothes, two in police tactical wear and three in army uniforms, got out of the SUV. The men approached the house and told the 47-year-old homeowner that they were investigating a report of a house fire and had come for surveillance footage.
The homeowner took the men inside, where his wife, 44, and son, 23, were. However, the men then announced a robbery and tied the family’s hands and feet before robbing them of gold jewelry, cash, mobile phones and their Digital Video Recorder. The men then left.
As one of the victims went to the Mayaro station to give a statement, however, he saw the soldier and pointed him out to the officers.