Taxi driver kidnapped one man in custody
by Michel Outridge
Guyana Chronicle
October 18, 2003

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Hire car driver, Vikikanand Nandlall, 20, of Non-Pariel, East Coast Demerara, was kidnapped on Thursday by a group of men on the Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, near the troubled village of Buxton.

At the time Nandlall was driving his silver gray car, PGG 3648, which was found abandoned on the Railway Embankment. It is lodged at Vigilance Police Station.

The police yesterday conducted several cordon/search operations. They searched several houses in Buxton but the missing taxi driver was not found up to late afternoon yesterday.

One person was reportedly arrested and taken for questioning, but this could not be confirmed.

Members of the Guyana Police Force, including the Fountain Base Squad, Target Special Squad, Target Special Unit and the Vigilance Squad, jointly went into Buxton acting on information and searched several houses in an effort to locate the missing man.

The Chronicle understands that the taxi driver was still being held in Buxton and that a $5M ransom was demanded from his family.

Relatives said they did not know of the kidnapping until Nandlall failed to go home that evening. It was only when a call was made to his cell phone that they learnt that he was kidnapped.

When Chronicle visited Nandlall's home yesterday, several neighbours and relatives had gathered to comfort his parents, who refused to comment on the incident.

Nandlall operated his car, which is normally parked at Coldingen road head, East Coast Demerara.

Nandlall's relatives yesterday could not give details as to what actually transpired and did not disclose any information.

According to a police press release yesterday, the police are conducting investigations into the kidnapping of a 20-year-old male taxi driver of Non-Pariel, who was allegedly kidnapped, sometime on Thursday afternoon, on the East Coast of Demerara.

The victim's motorcar PGG 3846 was found about 06:10 hours on Friday morning abandoned on the Annandale Railway Embankment Road.

The release said that based on information received so far, the victim was sent by his taxi service on Thursday afternoon to do a pick-up and that was the last time he was seen.

It further noted that the Anti-Kidnapping Unit has been activated and is in the area.

Additionally, reinforcements from police headquarters and other Anti-Crime Units from Georgetown have since been dispatched to the area and a combined operation is in progress in Buxton and other surrounding areas where it is suspected that the kidnappers may be holding their victim.

The police have searched a number of abandoned structures in the Buxton area while other searches are also continuing in the backdam.