Ex-soldier locks up Venezuelan woman, 8-month-old baby at his property in Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago: The police officials in Trinidad are presently on the lookout for an ex-soldier who locked a Venezuelan woman and her eight-month-old baby at his home in Arima on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. 

According to the reports, the victim and her baby moved in with the suspect at his residence in Mt Pleasant Road, Arima, Trinidad, on May 17 but was not seen by anyone since then.

However, it was not until Tuesday around 10 30 am that a man was walking past the property and heard the woman screaming and banging on the front door for help. The suspect reportedly left the home around 7 am after locking the two inside.

Upon hearing the screams, the young man immediately notified the police, who quickly responded and found the front steel gate and doors to the property padlocked from the inside and the steel door to the room where the victims were kept padlocked from the outside. 

The police officers subsequently borrowed a hammer and a chisel from a neighbor in the area, which they used to break the locks and rescue the victims, who were then transported to a safe house. The officers have launched an investigation for the suspect, who is said to be a former soldier and is presently at large. 

Meanwhile, the woman, who is said to be in her 30s, said that she was traumatized as she was being held in the house against her will. 

The residents in the area also said that the man was known for cursing motorists who blocked his driveway and had even reached the point of letting out the air from the tires of vehicles that belonged to people who parked around his property. 

The resident who informed the officials about the incident said that when he saw the young lady looking out from the gate, he felt as if a prisoner was there, and it really touched his heart. 

As the news of the lady and her baby being held inside spread online, netizens reacted to the situation and cursed the suspect. 

“That’s when a man wants to treat a woman like their property, what he feels the woman is an animal to get locked up..lock him up and see how he feels being suffocated in a close space,” wrote a user named Claira Mahabir while another user said, “These idiots watching too many movies. Thank God the woman and child were rescued.”