00:00In one case, a 25-year-old member of the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Forces Air Guard was kidnapped,
00:05assaulted and robbed after accepting a ride request on Wednesday night.
00:09According to police reports, the victim proceeded to 8th Avenue Barataria,
00:13where he picked up a man matching the description provided in the booking.
00:17The driver then traveled to Laventil.
00:20While along Laventil Road, the passenger allegedly attempted to strangle him.
00:25During the struggle, the car collided with a parked vehicle.
00:28Police said six other men then approached the vehicle and ordered the driver to get out.
00:34They blindfolded him, bound his hands and feet with tie straps,
00:38and placed him in the rear of his own vehicle before taking him to a house where he was held
00:43captive.
00:44The attackers later left in the victim's vehicle.
00:48He subsequently managed to free himself and sought assistance from nearby residents.
00:53The victim was later found by officers near Ovid Alley in the Fort Chacon area.
01:00His vehicle was subsequently recovered by officers of the Port of Spain Task Force.
01:05In another incident, a 26-year-old Aruka man was kidnapped for ransom after accepting a ride request through the
01:11same application.
01:12Police said the victim responded to a booking at about 7.30 p.m. on June 9th and proceeded to
01:19Agostini Street in Gonzales.
01:21Upon arrival, four men approached his car and announced the robbery.
01:26Investigators said the victim's hands were bound with zip ties before he was taken to an abandoned building at the
01:31top of the street,
01:32where he was robbed of the gold chain valued at $6,000, a gold band valued at $1,500, and
01:40an iPhone 13 valued at $4,000.
01:43The suspect then reportedly demanded $9,000 for his release.
01:48Police said $5,000 of the ransom was paid by a relative at Movie Town in Port of Spain,
01:53while a further $4,000 was withdrawn from the victim's bank account using his Republic Bank card.
01:59The victim was released at about 2 a.m. on June 10th.
02:04His captors escaped with his vehicle, which was valued at approximately $50,000.
02:10Alexander Brussel, TV6 News.
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