TV Station manager kidnapped by mistake in Trinidad, assailants spare his life

Trinidad and Tobago: A TV station manager in Trinidad and Tobago was spared execution after being kidnapped in broad daylight on Monday. The assailants allegedly mistook him for another person while he was traveling on the Beetham Highway.

According to the initial investigation according to the authorities, the TV station manager, whose identity has remained concealed, was targeted and kidnapped around 4:30 p.m. as he was moving through heavy traffic in the northern lane of the Beetham Highway near the Sea Lots walkover.

When an armed man entered the front passenger seat of his white Honda Vezel (PEK 9654) and demanded that he drive, directing him towards Abbatoir Road and then La Pena Drive, Laventille, where the TV station manager was forced out of the vehicle and led into a nearby area.

Four additional men joined, tied the victim up and began to senselessly beat him and stomp on him, before they decided to execute the victim and realized that they had kidnapped the wrong person.

As they had intended to kidnap a man resembling the TV manager, who owed TT$250,000 to another individual whom the assailants had been hired to kidnap.

Realizing they had kidnapped the wrong person, the five assailants left the victim tied and severely beaten and fled the scene, taking the victim’s white Honda Vezel, valued at TT$220,000.

The victim also had a silver card wallet, containing the victim’s driver’s permit, bank cards, a JMMB card, as well as a laptop bag with a blue Lenovo laptop and several other electronic items belonging to the media house.

The TV manager reportedly managed to flee the abandoned structure in Laventille where he was held sometime after 9:00 p.m., where he proceeded to report the incident to the authorities.

The victim narrated the whole incident to the authorities and stated that while in captivity, the assailants reportedly accessed his bank account and withdrew cash.

Police officers, including Insp. Durga and Cpl. Durity from the Besson Street Police Station visited the scene and launched an investigation into the kidnapping case which is at a very sensitive stage.