At Buxton backdam
Teen gunmen kidnap farmer
$20M ransom demanded
Buxton – Found dead one day after he was kidnapped.
A 65-year-old cane farmer was yesterday kidnapped from his farm in the Buxton backdam by a gang of teenaged boys.
Motilall, known as ‘Uncle Jinga,’ of Annandale North, was abducted by five armed men, all of whom were said to be in their teens, while cane- cutters at the farm could only watch on helplessly. A ransom demand of $20M was reportedly called into the family some hours later.
Nervous family members told Stabroek News that Motilall had left his home at 5 am yesterday as usual and had gone to the farm where the abduction later occurred sometime around 9:30 am.
While he had been sitting on the side of a bridge leading to the farm, awaiting the arrival of punts, three of the men ambushed him while two others stood waiting.
It was reported that shots were fired during the attack which ended with the men dragging Motilall off the bridge and marching him off towards the Friendship area. Buxton/Friendship has been the hub of the crime wave that has gripped the country since the February 23 jail-break.
Motilall’s family was later contacted and a ransom of $20M was demanded for the man’s release. The last call to the family was made at around 7:30 pm last night.
When Stabroek News visited the man’s home late yesterday, relatives, friends and members of the community had converged at his home offering support to the family and awaiting word from the kidnappers. The man is widely known throughout the area and is the largest cane farmer there.
While there were reports that the man’s body had been found, this could not be confirmed at press time by the family, who said they were still holding out hope.
Motilall’s kidnapping was the latest in a series that had a bloody denouement on Monday. In the recent incidents, the body of Camaldeo
Ganesh was found in the Buxton backdam after he was kidnapped and held for ransom. His motor bike which he was riding when he was ambushed was found some feet away.
A day later businessman Brahmanand Nandalall was kidnapped in a bullet-riddled attack through two city streets and he was held until Monday morning when he escaped his captors.
In the shoot-outs that followed, seven men died. Earlier last week, a goldsmith and his daughter were abducted at Golden Grove on the East Coast and held for a few hours until a ransom was paid. (Andre Haynes)
