Trinidadian arrested in Guyana over fake kidnapping claims

Georgetown: A Trinidad national, Sawak Maraj is in police custody after trying to stage his own kidnapping in Guyana. His two other accomplices are also in police custody.

Reports indicate that the mechanical engineer claimed he was abducted Wednesday from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. Maraj, allegedly left the airport in a taxi and was heading to a hotel on the East Bank Demerara when he disappeared. At the time, he was coming here to attend a job interview with Exxon Mobil.

However, a Guyanese on the previous day made hotel reservations for Maraj who landed on a Caribbean Airlines flight around 07:00 hrs Thursday.

An hour after, the engineer left the airport, a photograph of him with someone holding a cutlass to his neck, was sent to his parents and other relatives in Trinidad and Tobago.

It is alleged that the ‘kidnappers’ threatened to kill their victim if the demanded ransom was not paid. The engineer’s family immediately made contact with the Guyana Police Force and forwarded the photograph.

Ranks of the Major Crime Unit were able to trace the number and location where the call was made.  Ranks were immediately mobilised from around Georgetown and sent to the location in a bid to rescue the ‘victim.’ On arrival at the hotel, they took up strategic positions. They were puzzled when they entered the room where the ‘victim’ was being held and found him relaxing on a sofa, drinking a can of fruit-juice. He was not bound or gagged. He was escorted to the Criminal Investigation Unit where he is being grilled.