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Trini granted $1M bail for fake kidnapping
After spending three weeks on remand at the Georgetown Prison, Sawak Maraj, the Trinidadian national who faked his own kidnapping was granted $1M bail yesterday when he made another appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.
The 33-year-old Chemical Engineer is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard DeSantos, who renewed a bail application before the Chief Magistrate. DeSantos contended that his client is not a flight risk and has no means of leaving the country since police are in possession of his passport.
Particulars of the first charge against Maraj alleged that on October 27, last, at Georgetown, he knowingly gave false information to the police, stating that he was kidnapped and that his abductors demanded US$700,000 for his released. It was further alleged that on the same day at Madewini Resort, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, Maraj conspired with other persons to negotiate to obtain a ransom of US$700,000. The Trinidadian national pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan granted him $500,000 bail on each of the two charges.
At his initial court appearance, Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore strongly opposed to bail for Maraj citing that he is a flight risk. Moore disclosed that police are still on the hunt for two men who assisted Maraj with the botched kidnapping.
According to Moore, the men have been blacklisted at airports in Guyana and Trinidad.
Meanwhile, police have issued a wanted bulletin for Anil Antonio Mahabir and Vejhy Ramdass, both of whom have their last known address as Trinidad and Tobago, in connection with the crime.
They are age 40 and 42 respectively.
Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Mahabir and Vejhy is asked to contact the nearest police station or the police on 225-6411, 226-1389, 227-2128, 226-7065, 225-2227, 225-0575 or 911.
Maraj arrived in Guyana on October 28, via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.
He reportedly left the airport in a taxi and was heading to a hotel on East Bank Demerara when he disappeared. He reportedly came to Guyana to attend a job interview with Exxon Mobil.
ON BAIL: Sawak Maraj
It was a Guyanese who went to the hotel and made reservations for Maraj.
Shortly after the engineer left the airport, a photograph of him with someone holding a cutlass to his neck, was sent to his parents and other relatives in Trinidad and Tobago.
It is alleged that the ‘kidnappers’ threatened to kill their victim if the demanded ransom was not paid. The engineer’s family immediately made contact with the Guyana Police Force and forwarded the photograph.
This newspaper has been informed that local ranks were able to track the number that the ‘kidnappers’ used to make contact with Maraj’s relatives. They were also able to trace the location where the call was made.
Ranks were immediately mobilized from around Georgetown and sent to the location in a bid to rescue the ‘victim.’ On arrival at the hotel, they took up strategic positions.
They were puzzled when they entered the room where the ‘victim’ was being held and found him relaxing on a sofa, drinking a can of fruit-juice. He was not bound or gagged.
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