Teen’s harrowing abduction ordeal: Zaheer’s walk to freedom

News

William Samuel says words cannot describe his joy after he was reunited with his son Zaheer, 18 hours after the teenager was abducted outside the family’s businessplace in St Augustine on December 18.

Zaheer, 14, was snatched by gunmen and bundled into a car at around 5.30 am outside S&S Plant and Garden Shop along the Eastern Main Road.

Samuel got into his car and chased after the gunmen, but lost sight of them along Evans Street in Curepe.

Around 5.30 pm, Zaheer escaped from where he was being held in a hunter’s camp in the hills of Valencia and was reunited with his family at around 11 pm.

After Zaheer’s abduction, Samuel said his only Christmas wish was his son’s safe return.

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Speaking with Newsday on December 19, Samuel said he is happy his wish was granted and his son is safe.

“He was unharmed. It’s only some mosquito bites and thing he had because of where they had him in the bush.”

Samuel said the family did not pay any ransom and none was demanded.

He said Zaheer told him he overheard his captors speaking about a $200,000 sum but he did not hear much of the conversation.

“They didn’t call us at all. With the ability to track phones nowadays, I’m guessing that’s why they didn’t call for any ransom.”

Samuel believes the gunmen left Zaheer in the forest as they feared they would be caught when police began to search the area.

Police said they received information that led to multiple searches in Valencia on Wednesday.

“When they heard the police sirens in the area, they carried him further into the bush but eventually they ran off and left him there,” Samuel said.

He said he and his family are staying with relatives as they wanted to spend some quiet time with Zaheer and assess how he is doing.

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He was unwilling to give any additional details on Zaheer’s health but said he seemed to be “doing okay.”

Samuel also wanted to thank everyone who supported the family in any way possible.

“We have to praise everybody who supported us yesterday. We really are thankful.”

How Zaheer escaped:

With dusk approaching on December 18 and police closing in on their location, the gunmen left Zaheer blindfolded in a hunter's camp, his hands bound with duct tape.

His feet were also initially bound but after he complained to his captors that he was in pain, one of them cut the tape.

At around 5.30 pm, hearing total silence around him, Zaheer removed his blindfold and ran out of the camp.

He trekked through the forest for almost five hours, even crossing a river, trying to find any sign of civilisation.

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He eventually made his way to Bacchus Lane, off Quarry Road, Valencia, where he went to a house and asked for help at around 10 pm.

Zaheer told the man who he was and what had happened to him.

In an interview with Newsday, the man, who declined to be named or photographed, recalled his encounter with the scared teen.

“He was in a mess. My door does always be open and, hearing the noise and the children, he peeped in. My madam see him and start to bawl.

“He walked around to the side of the house by the window where he see one of my sons and talked to him. Then he come and sit down in the gallery.”

He said Zaheer seemed to be in shock.

“We tell him come inside because sometimes in that situation, we didn’t know who might have been looking for him (if he escaped).”

He said Zaheer told him he had not been fed.

“I asked him if he eat anything and he said, ‘Nah I eh eat anything since five o’clock this morning when they take me.’

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“I tell him I now making bread so I have nothing to eat but I give him a juice and he drank that.”

He said Zaheer appeared tired, his feet were covered in mud and his wet clothes clinging to his body.

Despite what he had been through, Zaheer did not appear panicked, the man said.

“That was one thing (I noticed). I feel that is what maybe assist in saving his life.”

He said the teenager then recounted as much as he could remember about what happened.

“He said it was three young men but they had masks on so he didn't see any of them (their faces).

“They duct tape his feet and his hands, but during the day he tell them his foot giving him problems and one of the men, maybe out of some goodness in their heart, in the situation, took off the duct tape from his feet.

“He said they left him in the bush and when it was sometime after 5 pm, he left and escaped.

“He say he pass through a dirt road, then a gravel road, then he fall down in a river while he was trying to get away.”

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The man said Zaheer walked for miles in the forest to get to Bacchus Lane.

“If you check what time he escape and the time he reach by me, he was in a serious piece of bush. If I had to guess, they would have had him somewhere on the other side of the (Cumaca) river. It would have been hours walking in pitch black (conditions).”

After he ate, Zaheer asked the man to call his family.

“He ask me to call his mother, but nobody at home had any money on their phone.

“So I tell the madam call the police one time instead. After about two or three minutes, about four jeep-loads of police come down the road.”

The man said the community is relatively crime-free, but his interaction with Zaheer and coming face-to-face with a kidnap victim has made him realise the seriousness of the crime situation.

“This is a peaceful community. I don't know about the other areas but I know about this part. It does have strange people on this road from time to time, but that is people who going to hunt and plant garden.

“So it was really kind of touching because I have kids of my own and the crime situation in TT is just getting ridiculous.

“At the end of the day, the government has to do something better to curb crime.”

Although his wife was scared, the man said he was happy he could help Zaheer.

Refusing to let criminals scare him into keeping his doors and windows closed all the time, he noted he may have never been able to help Zaheer if his door was not open.

“That won't affect me from keeping my door open, really, and truly. Because that has always been my practice.”

But he said his wife has now suggested the family implement more security measures.

“The discussion we had is that we really need to fence our yard.”

TTPS commends officers for Zaheer's rescue

In a statement on December 19, the TT Police Service commended the teamwork and efforts of the officers who "successfully rescued 14-year-old Zaheer Samuel following an intelligence-led operation in the Valencia District, Eastern Division."

Police said the co-ordinated operation was directly supervised by acting ASP Sookdeo of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, involved multiple specialised units, including the Eastern Division Task Force (EDTF) and the Valencia Special Operations Unit.

The release said between 9 pm on December 18 and 2 am on December 19, police searched multiple camps along the San Pablo Road, Valencia, as they tried to find Zaheer.

While they were searching for him, they got a call that he was at a house off Quarry Road, Valencia.

"Their swift response led to the successful recovery of Zaheer Samuel, who was found unharmed on the roadway near the ranch."

The release said Sookdeo and his team took Zaheer to the Arima Health Facility, where he was reunited with his family.

"The medical examination confirmed the victim was in stable condition, and he was subsequently discharged into his father’s care.

"The TTPS reiterates its dedication to combating crime and ensuring the safety of all citizens and encourages anyone with information on criminal activities to contact the Police Service at 911, 555 or 999."