Abductors assault woman in carjacking

Victim’s jaw broken; recovering in hospital

A WOMAN remains hospitalised following a robbery and abduction on Saturday that left her nursing a broken jaw and other injuries after she was beaten by her abductors.

Information reaching The Gleaner is that the woman, who is a supervisor at a government entity, arrived at her Corporate Area home and was pounced upon by armed men who forced her back into the motor vehicle.

Our news team gathered that she was taken to a remote location in St Catherine where she was assaulted.

The Gleaner understands that a neighbour may have witnessed the ambush and alerted the police.

The vehicle was tracked and monitored by security company KingAlarm, which, along with the police and military, was able to locate the vehicle.

When contacted, John Azar, managing director at KingAlarm, declined to comment, citing customer confidentiality and the sensitivity of the investigation.

The Area Five has launched a probe into the incident.

Sources close to the investigation told The Gleaner that the electronic tracking device was the key factor in locating the stolen vehicle and rescuing the woman.

TRACKING DEVICE ACTIVATED

“The tracker was activated. The police, military and the security response team located the vehicle. The woman was found not far from the vehicle,” a senior officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the investigation, told The Gleaner yesterday.

“The vehicle was secured and the woman was taken to hospital. She was responsive but also visibly shaken.”

The police said the men were not at the location when they arrived.

The police information arm, Corporate Communications Unit, confirmed the report and told our news team that an investigation is ongoing.

Up to December 21, the Jamaica Constabulary Force reported 608 motor vehicles stolen, almost 28 per cent more than the 446 for the corresponding period in 2018. Cars represented the most targeted vehicle this year, as 464 were stolen up to last Saturday.

In an interview last month with The Gleaner, Azar said that his company had recorded an increased sales of tracking devices, presumably because of growing alarm over car theft. He did not disclose specific data.

“More and more persons are looking to protect their vehicles not only with the more conventional alarm systems, but more so with tracking devices that, in the event of theft, can allow for the vehicle to shut down,” he said then.