By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Following her abduction for seven days by a family friend, 17 – year – old Kareeshma Rampersaud has returned to her lot 30 Second Street, South Better Hope East Coast Demerara home and is resting, but not very comfortably.
According to Rampersaud’s father, Vijai Rampersaud, his daughter appears to be in good physical health; however he is worried that the ordeal may have left her traumatized.
“I am happy to have her back but I’m worried and concerned for her state” he said. The older Rampersaud says he believes that his daughter now lives in fear that an end to her ordeal is yet to be reached.
Kareeshma Rampersaud was abducted from her home on the morning of Thursday, September 12 around 06:00hrs while picking flowers for her prayers (a Hindu Custom).
Vijai in recalling the steps to his daughter’s rescue said he received a call around mid-night from an unknown number on Wednesday September 18. Upon answering the call, the person on the other end informed him that they had his daughter and he would get her back at 5:30hrs the next day and hung up the phone.
He said he waited anxiously with his phone in his hand. “At 25 to 6 I get a call and the person said I have to send the girl grandmother to the Berbice Bridge to get her, I told them I wanted to come too but they say no, just the grandmother” Vijai explained.
He told iNews that he placed his mother in a car and sent her to the Berbice Bridge, but took another car unknowing to his mother and followed her. The older Rampersaud disappointingly said that on his way he stopped at several police stations to get assistance but to no avail.
He nonetheless travelled to the Berbice Bridge and crossed, but did not see his daughter or mother. He said he received a call from his mother saying she has the girl and was heading back to Georgetown. Vijai said he asked his mother to stop the car so he could see his daughter. He related that when he arrived, he saw his daughter, his mother and a woman he identified as Shelly.
Shelly was in fact the suspect Rampersaud’s parents had identified as the suspect in their daughters kidnapping.
Vijai said the woman insisted that they drop her to Georgetown before proceeding on their own. Luckily for the Rampersaud’s they encountered a road block at Cove and John, East Coast Demerara, the police were alerted and Shelly was arrested.
Vijai explained that the night prior to his daughter’s kidnapping he had made a police report against Shelly since he believed she had stole jewelry from him.
According to Vijai, Shelly who once lived with the family made several threats against them. She remains in police custody as investigations continue.
