William Samuel says words cannot describe his joy after he was reunited with his son Zaheer, 18 hours after the teenager was abducted outside the family’s businessplace in St Augustine on December 18.

Zaheer, 14, was snatched by gunmen and bundled into a car at around 5.30 am outside S&S Plant and Garden Shop along the Eastern Main Road.

Samuel got into his car and chased after the gunmen, but lost sight of them along Evans Street in Curepe.

Around 5.30 pm, Zaheer escaped from where he was being held in a hunter’s camp in the hills of Valencia and was reunited with his family at around 11 pm.

After Zaheer’s abduction, Samuel said his only Christmas wish was his son’s safe return.

Speaking with Newsday on December 19, Samuel said he is happy his wish was granted and his son is safe.

“He was unharmed. It’s only some mosquito bites and thing he had because of where they had him in the bush.”

Samuel said the family did not pay any ransom and none was demanded.

He said Zaheer told him he overheard his captors speaking about a $200,000 sum but he did not hear much of the conversation.

“They didn’t call us at all. With the ability to track phones nowadays, I’m guessing that’s why they didn’t call for any ransom.”

Samuel believes the gunmen left Zaheer in the forest as they feared they would be caught when police began to search the area.

Police said they received information that led to multiple searches in Valencia on Wednesday.

“When they heard the police sirens in the area, they carried him further into the bush but eventually they ran off and left him there,” Samuel said.

He said he and his family are staying with relatives as they wanted to spend some quiet time with Zaheer and assess how he is doing.

He was unwilling to give any additional details on Zaheer’s health but said he seemed to be “doing okay.”

Samuel also wanted to thank everyone who supported the family in any way possible.

“We have to praise everybody who supported us yesterday. We really are thankful.”

How Zaheer escaped:

With dusk approaching on December 18 and police closing in on their location, the gunmen left Zaheer blindfolded in a hunter's camp, his hands bound with duct tape.

His feet were also initially bound but after he complained to his captors that he was in pain, one of them cut the tape.

At around 5.30 pm, hearing total silence around him, Zaheer removed his blindfold and ran out of the camp.

He trekked through the forest for almost five hours, even crossing a river, trying to find any sign of civilisation.

[caption id="attachment_1127687" align="alignnone" width="768"] ROAD TO SAFETY: The road leading out of a forested area in Valencia that Zaheer Samuel used to find help on December 18, hours after he was abducted from outside his family's St Augustine businessplace. - Photo by Gregory McBurnie[/caption]

He eventually made his way to Bacchus Lane, off Quarry Road, Valencia, where he went to a house and asked for help at around 10 pm.

Zaheer told the man who he was and what had happe