A rescue operation in a forested area in Sangre Grande yesterday (Monday 29th May 2023) by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and Hunters Search and Rescue Team (HSRT), resulted in the safe recovery of 2-year-old Umar Ali. The child un­der­went med­ical treat­ment at the San­gre Grande Hos­pi­tal up to late last night.

According to reports, some­one from the area called Po­lice and tipped them off on the where­abouts of the sus­pect and child. Officers then no­ti­fied the HSRT, led by Sham­sudeen Ayube, and met up with them and trekked about 300 feet in­to the for­est off Barkar Trace, to conduct their search. They lat­er found Umar alone, sit­ting in a ham­mock un­der a makeshift tent in the bush. Po­lice said last evening that the sus­pect re­mains at large and is now be­lieved to be hid­ing deep in the forest. He allegedly aban­doned Umar in the bush when he realized Po­lice and a search team were clos­ing in on his lo­cation.

The child’s 18-year-old moth­er, Adee­ba, con­firmed to Guardian Me­dia that she was con­tact­ed by Po­lice some­time af­ter 4:00 PM and told that her child had been found, hav­ing been aban­doned by the sus­pect.

Speak­ing with Guardian Me­dia last evening in a tele­phone in­ter­view while at the San­gre Grande Po­lice Sta­tion, the child’s un­cle, Habib Ali, said they were told that Po­lice re­ceived a tip-off that the sus­pect and the child were in a forest­ed area off Barkar Trace, near where the sus­pect lives.

“They found Umar sit­ting in a ham­mock un­der a makeshift tent in the bush. They didn’t find the sus­pect be­cause it look like when he hear the Po­lice and hunters com­ing in, he fled deep­er in­to the forest­ed area, leav­ing the child be­hind. Umar was res­cued and tak­en to the San­gre Grande Po­lice Sta­tion, where his mom and I went and met the Po­lice to fill out some pa­per­work,” a re­lieved Habib said.

“Af­ter that, they will take us to­geth­er with the child to the Hos­pi­tal for a thor­ough med­ical ex­am­i­na­tion to check to see if there are any in­juries and oth­er things they’d be look­ing for I guess,” he added.

Umar was abducted while sleeping a week ago, on 23rd May 2023, by a close male rel­a­tive from his home in San­gre Grande. According to reports, the suspect broke in­to their home at Quash Trace, San­gre Grande, and took the sleep­ing child around 2:00 AM. He was re­port­ed miss­ing to their lo­cal Po­lice on the same day.

​The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) issued a Media Release last week, seeking the public’s assistance in locating the missing child.
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More on this as it becomes available.

​This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

[Source: T&T Guardian]

According to the mother of 2-year-old Umar Ali, her son has been found and is currently un­der­go­ing med­ical treat­ment at the San­gre Grande Hos­pi­tal. The child’s 18-year-old moth­er, Adee­ba, con­firmed the news to Guardian Me­dia a short while ago this evening (Monday 29th May 2023). She said she was con­tact­ed by Po­lice sometime after 4:00 PM and told that her child has been found and is now at the Hos­pi­tal.

“We are now go­ing there so we don’t have any de­tails as yet,” Adee­ba’s broth­er, Habib, said.

2-year-old Umar was abducted while sleeping a week ago, on 23rd May 2023, by a close male rel­a­tive from his home in San­gre Grande. According to reports, the suspect broke in­to their home at Quash Trace, San­gre Grande, and took the sleep­ing child around 2:00 AM. He was re­port­ed miss­ing to their lo­cal Po­lice on the same day. There has been no word since then on the where­abouts of the suspect and the child, until this evening.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) issued a Media Release last week, seeking the public’s assistance in locating the missing child.

​More on this as it becomes available.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

​[Source: T&T Guardian]

A couple from South Trinidad were robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight on Saturday (27th May 2023) while attempting to sell a television to someone on Facebook Marketplace. The robbery took place in Laventille, where both parties agreed to meet to conduct the transaction.

According to reports, the couple, a 35-year-old man and 48-year-old woman from Debe, had advertised their 40-inch Samsung television for sale on Facebook Marketplace. A potential buyer contacted the couple and they agreed to meet at Plaisance Road in Laventille around 11:30 AM on Saturday. The buyer agreed to pay for the item with cash.

Upon arrival, the couple parked at a basketball court in the area. They were then approached by armed men who relieved them of the television, a cell phone and cash.

No arrests have been made so far.

In light of this latest Facebook robbery, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) are again warning persons to be wary of doing transactions on social media, as these can be unsafe.

Officers of the Besson Street Police Station are continuing their investigations.

[Source: Loop]

Police in Guyana are said to have received instructions to proceed with charging a 15-year-old girl with nineteen (19) counts of murder, for allegedly setting fire to the dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School. A total of nineteen (19) students were killed as a result — eighteen (18) girls and a 5-year-old boy. An estimated fifty-six (56) children were housed in the dormitory at the time of the fire.

Guyana’s media outlet, News Room, said they were reliably informed that a file was sent to Police with recommendations that the girl faces a murder charge for each life claimed in the horrific fire. She is likely to face the Courts from as early as this week, the report said. In addition to the nineteen (19) deaths, twenty-nine (29) girls were also injured in the fire. Many of them have received treatment for their physical injuries and are receiving mental health support, according to the News Room.

Two (2) girls were critically injured — one of them, a 13-year-old, was flown to New York for critical care on Saturday (27th May 2023). The bodies of fourteen (14) students were burnt beyond recognition and DNA samples had to be sent to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for analyses. The remains were all subsequently positively identified.

Authorities in Guyana said the suspect deliberately set the deadly fire around 11:00 PM on 21st May 2023, after her cellphone was confiscated by the dorm’s administrator, known as the ‘house mother.’ The fire then blazed through the compound for approximately three (3) hours before it was finally brought under control. The students were trapped inside as the house mother allegedly could not find the keys to let them out.

Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Amery Browne, said last week that Prime Minister Keith Rowley exchanged formal correspondence with Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, following the tragedy. He said there continues to be ongoing contact between both Governments.

“We are on alert for specific items or areas of assistance that their authorities would request based on the assessments that are underway.”

​More on this as it becomes available.

[Source: Newsday]

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said it has taken note of a Media Release with the subject “Opposition Leader urges TTPS Officers to seek legal advice and tell the country the truth about the Brent Thomas matter,” dated 27th May 2023, purported to have been issued by Leader of the Opposition, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The TTPS said the Release alludes to “allegations that members of the hierarchy of the TTPS are coercing and attempting to convince the Officers who are implicated in this abduction to modify their reports to protect the Minister who may have been directing them all along.”

A statement issued today (Sunday 28th May 2023) from Commissioner of Police, Erla Harewood-Christopher, said, “While it is not the intention of the Office of Commissioner to be distracted from its urgent and onerous mandate of preventing and detecting crime, and to be lured into responding to every specious allegation that is made against it, this case qualifies as an exception, if only because it strikes at the very root of the integrity of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, which I am duty bound to nurture and protect. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service wholly and categorically denies the allegations being made in the Media Release and calls upon all citizens to be responsible in their utterances and to be mindful of the potentially adverse effects their utterances can have on the functioning of the organization and the implications for law enforcement in our country.”

The Commissioner added, “The Brent Thomas matter is currently before the Courts and in the interim, the TTPS is obligated to manage any disclosure in relation to that matter in accordance with the propriety that is required for due process. Finally, I take this opportunity to assure all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago that the TTPS will be responsible and professional in fulfilling its constitutional mandate and will continue to do so diligently, fiercely, fearlessly, and independently of the influence of all politicians.”

Below is the full Media Release from the Opposition Leader:

Members of the Praedial Larceny Squad (PLS) believe they may have made a major breakthrough in a cattle stealing ring in Central following the arrest of two (2) men in Cunupia on Thursday (25th May 2023).

The two (2) men, ages forty-one (41) and eighteen (18), were arrested after they were found to be in possession of two (2) of the four (4) animals reported missing by a Central farmer.

On 6th May 2023, the victim, a livestock farmer who occupies thirty (30) acres of leasehold agricultural land, reported that four (4) of his animals were missing: two (2) bull calves valued at $5,000 each and two (2) adult cows valued at $8,000 each.

Based on the information received, the PLS, accompanied by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), visited an open area in Cunupia where two (2) of the four (4) missing animals were discovered.

The two (2) accused men were arrested and charged by WPC Kissoon of the PLS South Central Base, in connection with the missing animals.
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The PLS said it continues to work closely with members of the TTPS and other protective services to ensure the safety of the agricultural community.

A 37-year-old Attorney-at-Law was granted bail by Justice of the Peace (JP) Dube in the sum of $200,000 on Tuesday (23rd May 2023), after she was arrested and charged with larceny trick.

According to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), Kavita Persad, of Old Factory Road, Piarco, is due to appear at the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 6th June 2023, to answer to the charge.

On Monday 6th March 2023, a man reported to the San Fernando Criminal Investigations Department (CID), that between 18th December 2020 and 23rd December 2020, he paid $150,000 to an Attorney at Law, to purchase a piece of land allegedly located at Palmiste, San Fernando. The transaction allegedly occurred at the Attorney’s office, which was located at Herbert Street, St. Clair, Port-of-Spain. It was later discovered that there was no land or title to land to be sold.

Enquiries were conducted by Officers of the San Fernando CID and spearheaded by Ag. Cpl. Gaffar, under the supervision of Snr. Supt. Smith, ASP Jaikaran, Insp. Phillip and Sgt. Bacchus. The suspect was then arrested and charged for the offence of larceny trick.

Investigations are continuing.

During a surveillance exercise, Officers of the Western Division Special Patrol Unit arrested a Carenage man for possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

According to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), Officers were on patrol yesterday (Friday 26th May 2023) along Seaview Hill, Carenage, when they had cause to stop and search a man who was behaving suspiciously.

During the search, Officers allegedly discovered a firearm, with a magazine containing nineteen (19) rounds of ammunition. The 35-year-old man was immediately arrested and conveyed to the Police Station where he is assisting Officers in their investigation.

Charges are expected to be laid today (Saturday 27th May 2023).

Two (2) men were arrested and charged yesterday (Friday 26th May 2023) following a robbery with violence to wit a home invasion, which occurred in the Westmoorings district on 17th May 2023.

Keon Weekes, also known as ‘Valdo,’ 43, and Jamaal Mc Hutchinson, also known as ‘Mal,’ 31, both of Picton Road, Laventille, were jointly charged with robbery with violence to wit a home invasion. Both men are also expected to be charged with firearm offences, while Weekes is also charged for failing to provide his fingerprint impressions.

According to Police reports, Officers of the Four Roads Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and Western Division Gang and Intelligence Unit (WDGIU), followed the evidence, which led the Officers to acquire search warrants which were then executed at both suspects' homes. Items of evidential value were seized.

Both men are expected before the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court early next week.

A woman from Arima was shot during an armed robbery in Curepe last night (Thursday 25th May 2023), in which her vehicle was stolen. She is currently hospitalized.

According to reports, the woman was walking towards her vehicle around 8:35 PM, which was parked along Evans Street, when another car pulled up in front of her. Two (2) men alighted from the sedan and confronted the woman, announcing a hold-up. The woman was shot by one of the bandits while attempting to resist.

The men then entered the woman's vehicle and drove off.

Police were notified and the wounded woman was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex for treatment. Her injury was not said to be life-threatening.

Investigations are continuing.

More on this as it becomes available.

[Source: Loop]