Four members of the Army, one of them a member of the elite Special Forces Unit, were last night in police custody after being detained on suspicion of murder and kidnapping for ransom.
By Darren BahawHand-picked officers of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations coordinated the simultaneous arrests of the soldiers who were taken into custody while on duty at the Defence Force Headquarters, in Chaguaramas.
Three other people were also arrested during the special operation and officers were on the field up to press time last night searching for two others suspects. Investigators intend to question all the suspects in relation to several reports of kidnapping for ransom over the weekend.
One of the detained soldiers appeared in court last month on a charge of illegal possession of ammunition and was released on bail.
A four-paragraph joint media release from the Defence Force and the Police Service confirmed that the four soldiers were detained in connection with the murder of United States Army veteran Balram Maharaj.
Minister of National Security Martin Joseph told the Daily Express that he was aware of the arrest of the soldiers and promised a "prompt investigation and action" into the matter. He said he did not wish to add more than what the media release has stated.
"The Chief of Defence Staff (Brigadier Ancil Antoine) and the Commissioner of Police (Trevor Paul) assure the people of Trinidad and Tobago that deviant behaviour among their respective ranks will neither be condoned, nor swept under the carpet. Perpetrators, once discovered, will feel the full brunt of the law," the release stated. "Intelligence-led investigations by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force resulted in this major breakthrough," the release added.
In a second release issued two hours later, both Antoine and Paul assured "the people of Trinidad and Tobago that the majority of their ranks are dedicated and committed to providing quality service to the nation". It added that any member of the Police Service of Defence Force "found to be deviant, will be dealt with according to law". Local investigators were able to recover the remains of Maharaj, a Vietnam war veteran, on January 8, with the assistance agents of the United Stated Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Maharaj, 62, a Trinidad-born citizen of the United States, was kidnapped on April 6, 2005, from the Samaan Tree Bar, Aranjuez, and a $3 million ransom demand was made for his safe return. He was arrested while visiting relatives at Chandy Lane, in El Socorro. With the assistance of a key informant, police were led to a forested area in Santa Cruz where Maharaj's bones were recovered in two containers buried in two holes.
Three people have already been charged by homicide detective Cpl Wendell Lucas with Maharaj's murder, including his former common-law wife, Doreen Alexander-Durity, 40, of Nelson Street, Arima, Zion Clark, 27, of Grand Curacaye, Santa Cruz and Anderson Straker, 32, of Pierreville, Mayaro. They are to re-appear before Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls on January 26.
