Fr Anthony Mowlah-Baksh, who was held up at gunpoint on Tuesday while praying with his elderly mother, said a prayer for the criminals yesterday.

Mowlah-Baksh, former secretary general of the Steel Workers Trade Union, said he believed there would be a turnaround in the country if youths got involved in more productive activities.

Around 1.30 pm on Tuesday, Mowlah-Baksh went to visit his 80-year-old mother, Ruby, at her home along Gopaul Street, Vistabella.

"We were engaged in prayer when two men, armed with guns, entered through the front door. They met the woman who assists us with my mom and grabbed on to her. They took her to the bedroom where we were praying and demanded money," he said.

Mowlah-Baksh said he coaxed one of the men into going to another room because he did not want his mother to panic.

"I told them they can go ahead and search for money. About two minutes into their search they called it off. I believe God intervened and stopped them," he said.

A neighbour heard the commotion and called the police, the Express was told.

Mowlah-Baksh said the police arrived minutes after the men escaped empty-handed. "They called us and said they held one of the men and we had to go to the police station to identify the suspect," he said.

At the identification yesterday the suspect was not pointed out, it was learned

Mowlah-Baksh said: "Crime is getting pretty serious now. These young people are strong and able to do positive things. I continue to hope and pray that these people turn around their lives. The police also acted very quickly and I can see that things will get better."

Investigators continued their search for the suspects yesterday.