Businessman stalked, stabbed
Joel Julien
jjulien@trinidadexpress.com
Saturday, November 1st 2008
narrow escape: Len Seepaulsingh shows his injuries at his St James home yesterday. -Photo: ANISTO ALVES
FOR some time, criminals staked out the home of a St James businessman, secretly watched and timed his every move, and eventually attacked him at his Barataria business place on Thursday morning.
However, Len Seepaulsingh narrowly escaped what police believe was an attempt to kidnap and kill the owner of Media Graphics Ltd.
It was the second time an attack on Seepaulsingh had been foiled.
Two years ago, Seepaulsingh was informed of a kidnap attempt on his life following an anonymous tip-off to Crime Stoppers.
"The last time was devastating, but this time the attack hit too close to home," Seepaulsingh said in an interview yesterday.
"We are all very traumatised. Nobody has left the house, nobody wants to stay in this country anymore," Seepaulsingh said about his family's reaction to the attack.
The first planned attack left Seepaulsingh emotionally scarred, but this one left him physically scarred. Seepaulsingh was stabbed in his stomach during Thursday's ordeal.
Recounting the incident yesterday, Seepaulsingh said around 9 o'clock, minutes after he entered his Barataria office, a man with a knife walked in.
"They send me to kill you!" Seepaulsingh said were the words the bandit greeted him with.
The bandit made Seepaulsingh lie down face first on the ground, and cuffed him in his face. Seepaulsingh fought back. A scuffle began and during the melee Seepaulsingh was stabbed in his stomach.
Bleeding and bruised, Seepaulsingh was able to get away from the man.
However, Seepaulsingh's dash to freedom was stopped by a gunman in the office's lobby. The gunman was pointing his gun at the office's manager, so that he would not raise an alarm and alert Seepaulsingh of the ambush. But Seepaulsingh was able to run into the office's printery, where he hid.
The two criminals searched for him but eventually gave up. But they did not leave empty-handed, as they eventually robbed the businessplace of an undisclosed amount of cash and cheques.
When the two men left, Seepaulsingh was rushed to the Port of Spain General Hospital by his employees. He was discharged after receiving stitches to his injury.
During the incident the attackers told Seepaulsingh intimate details of his family's movements and his business.
Seepaulsingh said yesterday he needed to talk out now to prevent this from happening to anybody else.
"I think I need to talk out because I don't want this to happen to other people, ordinary people who pay taxes and provide jobs for people, even if it costs me my own life," Seepaulsingh said.
Barataria police are continuing investigations.
- thats a terrible ordeal ....hope ur dad recovers fully
