NEW DELHI: Cases of kidnapping for ransom are on the rise in the capital, according to data released by the Delhi police on Sunday. According to the data, 19 incidents have been reported till November this year in the city as compared to 14 during the same period last year, including a case where a boy was abducted from a school bus in Shahdara on the eve of Republic Day. Police said in kidnapping cases, their top priority is to ensure the 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.
In October, a first-year Delhi University student and her minor brother allegedly kidnapped their landlord’s three-year-old son and demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh. They had initially demanded a ransom of Rs 5 crore but they later reduced the amount. However, the child was rescued within 24 hours and the brother-sister duo was arrested.
According to the police, in cases of such kidnappings, 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.
“Even your single mistake can pose a threat to the victim’s life. There are times when 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 investigating officer said.
In most cases, the accused know the victims. 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.