Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said yesterday no ransom was paid for the release of his step-daughter Krystiana Sankar following her abduction on Thursday night.
Sankar was abducted from a friend’s home at Alfred Drive, Crystal Stream, Diego Martin.
The 24-year-old woman was said to be at the home of an ex-boyfriend with several other people just after 7 pm, when two men armed with a gun and cutlass, singled her out before bundling her into a vehicle and speeding off. She was found early yesterday morning.
A tweet from the T&T Police Service yesterday revealed she was freed in Diego Martin around 2 am after a $167,000 ransom was paid.
Yesterday, however, Young told reporters at Parliament that he’d only heard of the development on Thursday night when one of Sankar’s friends called him.
He added: “I’d like to thank the T&T Police Service and all other members of law enforcement who worked around the clock on Thursday night to ensure the safe return of Ms Krystiana Sankar, a 24-year-old adult and step-daughter; someone who I had a relationship with and who I was very concerned about.
“So I was happy when she was returned safely home sometime early this morning. I’ve seen reports of payment of a ransom. (But) absolutely no ransom was paid either by myself or her immediate family.”
He added: “We just want to put this ordeal behind us now and allow a young woman to continue with her life. As far as I’m aware, there’s an ongoing police investigation.”
On whether the abductors were known to Sankar - in view of allegations an ex-boyfriend was involved - Young said, “I don’t know the answer to that - no.
“There’s an ongoing police investigation. I leave it in the police’s hands to pursue all leads and complete their investigation and await the outcome.”
On whether he believed the quick action was due to his position in Government, Young said, “I don’t want to speculate. My interaction with police is that they normally react in a responsible manner.
“This (speedy resolution) reminded me of the abduction of the Chinese Ambassador’s driver (last year in Woodbrook). It shows the security forces’ apparatus is working. I encourage them and thank them - I don’t think it had anything to do with ‘influence’.”
