American-based relatives of a mentally ill 30-year-old Guyanese man are appealing to the Bahamian public and local authorities to help them find him.
They claim Bridgemohan “Anil” Samaria entered The Bahamas on September 2 and hasn’t been heard from since.
Samaria is reported to be of a dark brown complexion, weighs between 160 and 170 pounds and is about 5’11” tall.
Family members said Samaria was burned by acid and a scar is visible on his face from the accident. They also said he is illiterate and suffers from schizophrenia. But they said he is not dangerous, however, he is said to be easily misled.
Amanda Samaria, who spoke with The Bahamas from New York, claimed her brother was told by a Bahamian couple living in Guyana that he could receive a medical visa from The Bahamas which would give him access to treatment in the United States.
She claimed the family wired the woman $10,000 in two payments of $5,000 to ensure her brother’s safe passage to The Bahamas and secure the visa.
Bahamian police have confirmed that they are searching for Samaria and are investigating the family’s claims.
“My brother thought he would have gotten this visa from The Bahamas, spend about three weeks in The Bahamas and then come to the United States to be with the rest of his family, but that never happened,” Ms. Samaria said.
She said the family has not heard from him since he left Guyana three months ago.
“My brother is a very calm person. He doesn’t trouble anyone, but he talks a lot when he doesn’t have his medication so we are very concerned that [three] months have passed and we haven’t heard anything from him because that is not in his character not to contact his family.”
She added, “I am afraid that something may have happened to him or he may be wandering on the streets of New Providence and doesn’t know who he can turn to for help. We want him to get treated so he can come home to his family.”
Ms. Samaria said since her brother’s disappearance she has been in contact with the couple her brother traveled to The Bahamas with.
She claimed the woman initially informed her that her brother was safe in The Bahamas and that she had made living arrangements for him in an apartment.
Ms. Samaria said the woman also informed her that on the September 28 her brother traveled to Florida via boat and that was the last contact she had with him.
But the woman in question, when contacted by The Bahama Journal this week, said she knew no one by the name of Anil Samaria.
His family is doubtful that he traveled to Florida since his sister claims that the woman actually sent her her brother’s travel documents via courier service.
“They kept assuring us that Anil was okay then all of a sudden they called up and said that Anil went to Florida and this was very strange because we had not arranged for him to travel to Florida. We were speechless when we got this news because we had no idea about what was going on,” Ms. Samaria said.
She added that after the family did not hear from her brother, she asked the woman how he was able to travel without a passport.
Ms. Samaria said she was then informed that he had traveled on a boat and did not need a passport.
She also said that a stamp from Bahamian immigration in Samaria’s passport confirmed that her brother had traveled to The Bahamas.
“I told the couple just let us know the truth because we believe that they were holding out on us. We don’t believe that Anil is in the United States. I believe they told us this just so we would not come to The Bahamas to look for him,” Ms. Samaria said.
The family has since retained the services of Criminal Justice Associates in Orlando, Florida to assist in locating Samaria.
The organization’s website says it provides investigative and specialized security services throughout the United States and select locations overseas.
Information on the Guyanese man was also forwarded to Bahamian police.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
