Homocide detectives have uncovered new information linking four detained soldiers to a second case of a kidnapping which resulted in murder.
By Darren BahawThe soldiers, along with four other people were arrested in a coordinated exercise on Friday and are to be jointly charged with three other people, already in custody, for the murder of United States Army veteran Balram Maharaj.
Police are searching for one more suspect in relation to the crime and a warrant was yesterday issued for his arrest.
The Sunday Express learned that the four members of the Defence Force have been linked to the murder of real estate salesman Gerald Gopaul whose body was discovered wrapped in plastic at Trantrill Road, near a Caroni rice field on July 19, 2005.
Gopaul, 52, was beaten and dragged out of the Diamond Recreation Club, at Papourie Road, Diamond Village, San Fernando by three men around 7.30 p.m. on July 8, 2005.
A post-mortem revealed that Gopaul was beaten on the head and chest and smothered with a plastic bag wrapped around his head.
Gopaul's family had raised money to pay the kidnappers but he was killed without a ransom demand being made.
Maharaj, 62, a Trinidad-born citizen of the United States, was kidnapped on April 6, 2005, from outside the Samaan Tree Bar, in Aranguez, and a $3 million ransom demand was made for his safe release.
He was abducted while visiting relatives at Chandy Lane, El Socorro.
Local homicide detectives, assisted by agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations, were able to recover Maharaj's remains on January 8, in a Santa Cruz forest.
Three people, including Maharaj's 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, have already been charged with Maharaj's murder.
Maharaj's bones were found in two containers buried in two holes after investigators followed the lead of a key informant in the case.
The American Government had offered US$10,000 for information relating to Maharaj's abduction.
Investigators also intend to question the detained soldiers about other reports of kidnapping for ransom.
The breakthrough came as a result of round-the-clock investigations by a hand-picked team of homicide detectives, including Sgt Jayson Forde, Sgt Thalia Francis, Cpl Eric Parks, Cpl Wendell Lucas, PC Marvin Pinder, PC Kendell Abraham, PC Gary Huggins and PC Trotman.
Police said one of the detained soldiers is a member of the Army's elite Special Force Unit while another soldier had only last month appeared in court charged with being in possession of illegal ammunition and was released on bail.
The arrests of the soldiers, has created disquiet among the ranks, as the relatively squeaky-clean image of the Defence Force has been tarnished by the allegations of murder and kidnapping.
Captain Al Alexander, the Public Relations Officer of the Defence Force, told the Sunday Express yesterday that the Army's Intelligence Unit had been monitoring the detained soldiers for some time now.
He stressed that they were in the "minority" and their alleged actions were not a reflection of the Defence Force personnel.
