T&T teacher kidnapped from school

Keston Mahabir
Keston Mahabir

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Horrified by news that their teacher Keston Mahabir had been abducted in broad daylight, students of Keston’s Educational Institute wept as they waited on news of his whereabouts.

Fearful of hearing the worst, some students spent hours offering moral support to Mahabir’s siblings at their home at Pitiman Trace, McBean Village, Couva.

Police say they have several leads and are hopeful of a breakthrough.

Mahabir, 26, a graduate of the University of T&T, has spent the last five years teaching mathematics, English and human and social biology at his private establishment. He was expected to take up a teaching position at the University of the West Indies from September.

A total of 73 pupils were enrolled at the school and Mahabir was in the process of getting it registered by the Ministry of Education.

Speaking at the family’s home, Mahabir’s sister, Melissa Riley, said some time before noon two women arrived at their residence to discuss registration of the institute, located behind Mahabir’s home.

Noting he had been making arrangements to register his school officially, Riley said she and his fiancé left Mahabir as he went with the women to the back of the house, where the school is located.

She said a while after the women arrived, a cousin came home and went to the back of the house to find the classroom in disarray and the two women who had come to Mahabir hiding in an adjoining room.

When the cousin alerted other family members and they went to find out what had happened to their loved one, the two women had disappeared.

Riley said they heard nothing from Mahabir while he was with the women, not even a scream, leading her to believe the women were part of the abduction.

Riley said they later learned, from viewing CCTV footage, that while Mahabir was engaged with the women, a silver Tiida pulled up and two men got out, went inside, grabbed Mahabir and shoved him inside the car and sped off.

Police spotted the getaway vehicle hours later in California, intercepted it and arrested the occupants. Up to press time, however, no ransom call was made and Mahabir was still missing.