KIDNAPPED TEEN RELEASED

Relief and joy for the parents of 14-year-old Zaheer Samuel who was released by his kidnappers late last night, less than 24 hours afer he was taken.

Transcript

00:00The cries and prayers of a concerned father were answered last night as 14-year-old Zahir Samuel,

00:06who was abducted from outside his family's business in St. Augustine before daybreak on

00:11Wednesday, was released. Zahir, police said, was found along Bacchus Trace in the vicinity

00:16of De Freitas Ranch in Valencia at about 10.15pm yesterday. He was brought to the

00:21Arima District Hospital where he was examined before being released back into the care of

00:26his family. He was said to have no visible injuries and was in good spirits.

00:56A resident of the area who helped Samuel tells TV6 that he was surprised when Zahir came knocking

01:01on his door. Zahir reportedly told the resident

01:25that after he had been kidnapped, he had been taken to a forested area and his hands and feet

01:30had been bound with duct tape. However, he had told his captors that one of his feet was hurting.

01:56The police were notified and within two minutes, TV6 was told, officers were on the scene.

02:03He said Zahir looked as though he had spent quite some time in the bush. However, the teenager was

02:10calm and collected. He believed that Zahir's calmness may have been what saved his life.

02:18Speaking with TV6 News, Zahir's father, William Samuel, said he was grateful that his son was

02:23returned and he wanted to thank all those who would have been involved in bringing Zahir back

02:28safely. He noted that his son just had a few minor scratches about his body and mosquito bites.

02:34He also noted that despite any reports online, no one had called the family about a ransom.

02:39He also added that the family was currently staying with other relatives in central Trinidad

02:44until the situation had completely resolved. Alexander Brucewall, TV6 News.