Spike in kidnapping for ransom cases

Victim safety is our priority: Police

New Delhi: The incidents of kidnapping for ransom have shown an upward trend in the national capital, with Delhi Police saying the safety of victim poses a major challenge.

Nineteen incidents of kidnapping were reported till November 2018 in the city as compared to 14 during the same period in 2017, including a sensational case where a minor boy was brazenly abducted from a school bus on the eve of Republic Day from Shahdara, according to data released by Delhi Police.

Police said, in kidnapping cases, their top priority is to ensure safety of the victims involved. "We have to be very careful even with minute things. Our main challenge is to ensure that the victim is rescued safely, without any injuries. We have to closely monitor the actions of the kidnappers," a senior police officer said.

According to police, in such cases it is difficult to take the victims' family into confidence. "It's often difficult to convince the parents of the victims and take them into confidence. Because in the process, sometimes they tend to lose faith," G Ram Gopal Naik, Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) said.

In kidnapping cases, media plays an essential role by not leaking sensitive details pertaining to investigations as it might ultimately pose a threat to the victim's life, police said.

"Even your single mistake can pose a threat to the victim's life. There are instances, where even investigating officers tend to lose hope, but we keep patience and work with the hope that the victim is still alive.

There have been instances, where the victim is killed within 24 hours of kidnapping and the accused make ransom calls, claiming the victim to be alive," an investigative officer said.

In most of the cases, the accused are known to the victim. In a case where the five-year-old boy was abducted, the kidnapper was a customer of the victim's father. The accused was aware about the financial status of the victim's father.

In October 2018, a first-year Delhi University student, along with her minor brother, allegedly kidnapped a three-year-old son of their landlord and demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh.

The sister-brother duo initially demanded a ransom of Rs 5 crore from the victim's father and later reduced the amount to Rs 50 lakh after negotiation.

However, the child was rescued within 24 hours and the Delhi University student was arrested. Later, her brother was also apprehended in connection with the case.