(Trinidad Express) Two policemen accused of kidnapping and robbing a businessman and his friend were detained for questioning on Saturday evening.
The officers, attached to the Couva Police Station, were expected to appear before an identification parade last evening.
The men were arrested after a stolen wallet was found in a car belonging to one of the officers.
The incident involving the officers allegedly occurred around 7 p.m. on Friday.
Vishal Balgobin, 22, and his 18-year-old friend told police that they were seated in a parked vehicle near the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation head office in Couva when a marked police vehicle stopped.
Balgobin, a company director, told police that the officers ordered them out of the vehicle.
A search was conducted and nothing illegal was found, police said.
Balgobin, of Mc Bean Village, Couva, was ordered to hand over his wallet. But when it was returned, US$2,000 was missing, police said.
The men were handcuffed and placed in the tray of the police van.
Reports stated that the men were taken to a lonely area off Milton Road, Couva, where they were beaten and $20,000 demanded.
Police said several gunshots were fired and the men were threatened.
The men, still in handcuffs, were forced to lie face down in the van tray, as the officers drove to a fast food outlet and purchased a meal.
They were dropped off at an unknown location in Couva.
Police said the men made their way to the Couva Police Station where a report was made to senior superintendent Edward Castillo and Inspector Wayne Lawrence.
An investigation was launched and the officers were detained. The injured men were treated at the Couva District Hospital.
