The Spiritual Shouter Baptist community is calling on the kidnappers of Couva school teacher Keston Mahabir to release him safely.
Speaking at Spiritual Shouter Baptist Liberation Day celebrations yesterday, Archbishop Patrick Brown said Mahabir was a member of the St Ann’s Church of Spiritual Metaphysics in Couva and was in fact carded to speak during the celebrations yesterday.
Today marks nine days since Mahabir was taken from his Pitiman Trace, McBean, Couva, home, where he also runs his school. Mahabir was the head of Keston’s Educational Institute and was in the process of having his school registered with the Ministry of Education when he was abducted.
So far, no ransom demands have been made nor has Mahabir’s family received any word from his abductors. During yesterday’s observances, Brown described Mahabir as a very good young man.
“He was a very good young man, I was shocked when I saw it on the papers.
“He is also a preacher, he preaches the word to people...I was very shocked how this happened,” Brown said. He went on to add a prayer for Mahabir’s release.
“He is a decent, loving guy and I’m hoping the kidnappers could release him today self, under this Spiritual Baptist prayers.”
Brown said Mahabir would have been one of the faithful to deliver a speech at the celebrations.
However, he said, he would now be investigating rumours circulating that Mahabir had been involved in a relationship with a teenage student.
“I heard a little rumour about that, so after this Baptist day I am going to do an investigation. He used to come here.”
“I know him as a decent, honest and trustworthy guy...but I don’t know what that fella was doing outside the books.”
He added: “He would have been here today, he would have been making a speech today.
“But nobody knows, when your time comes you may be doing something wrong or right, something have to be wrong somewhere...I saying why they kidnap that man? What did he do? That is the question.”
The T&T Guardian visited Mahabir’s home yesterday but his relatives declined to speak to the media. In an interview yesterday on the issue, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the T&T Police Service was close to a major breakthrough in Mahabir’s case.
Al-Rawi said a press release is expected to be issued in the coming days informing the public of this breakthrough.