VISAKHAPATNAM: BACK-to-back kidnap cases of children for ransom in the last couple of weeks in the coastal city have left police force thinking. Though police traced the abductors in many cases, the worrying issue is that the police were not able to crack the case in time, resulting in the death of the hostages.
Even in the recent kidnap incident of B Navadeep, the police failed to nab the culprit even after having enough CCTV cameras at major junctions. After verifying five or six cameras in the surroundings, the police were unable to trace the abductor. Thanks to Facebook post, the kid joined his parents. Though police claim of forming teams several times to trace the culprit, the kidnapper abandoned the baby about 500 metre from the house.
City police commissioner T Yoganand, on the issue, said that they had got a footage of a woman carrying the infant. However, he refused to say anything more on the issue and said that they would nab her very soon. An officer who dealt with the case said that apart from NH, none of the apartments, hotels and other places in the vicinity had CCTVs which are actually mandatory which is a major obstacle for them.
The incident which took place last month at Anakapalle, gave tense moments to the police. K Uday, 8, and son of a financier from Anakapalle town, was kidnapped by a youngster from his neighbourhood, for a ransom of `1 lakh. The police were unable to track him down for two days and fortunately on the third day, the body of the kid was traced near Yeleru canal, 5 km from the house.
According to the police observation, in most of the cases the kidnappers are known persons to the family, so too in this case.
Anakapalle Town Station House Officer (SHO) G Chandra, who dealt with the case of Uday, blames parents for reporting late and misuse of SIM cards led to obstacles in investigation.
“The kid left house at around 11 am and didn’t return. But his father had reported the matter in the night. The reason was simple, the financier thought he was in nearby relative’s house,” he said.
On the kidnapping scenario, a police officer said that it was very dangerous when the kidnapper is a known person to the family. In most of the times, the abductors eliminated the kids fearing that their family members might know about him. He said that cases in Vizag show kids return safe when the kidnapper is an unknown person.
The kidnap case turns tough if the kidnapper uses coin box to call instead of mobile phone, he said.
Youth turn abductors for money
The youngsters turning kidnappers is another trend as per police observation. In April 2015, a 19-year old Intermediate dropout kidnapped a kid He demanded `1 lakh to lead lavish life. Even in the Anakapalle case, a 20-year old youngster kidnapped the kid. The kidnapper committed the offence just to clear his debt of `20,000. The kidnap case of Chodavaram in September 2014, was also a pre-planned one for money. “These youngsters are completely neglected by the parents. Some youngsters want easy money to lead lavish life, some want to clear loans, anything could be the reason. They kidnap kids targetting financiers and other rich people, said a senior police officer adding that “Most of them lure kids. In the Chodavaram kidnap case, the kidnapper lured the 9-year-old boy with buying bicycle. In the Anakapalle case, the kidnapper lured by offering chocolates. In the Devarapalle kidnap case of the 13-year-old girl, the abductor who is her uncle lured her by offering to take her out.” Sources from the law and order department said that the search operation in a kidnap case depends on the seriousness of the case. “If it’s a minor, the issue will be taken seriously. Most of the cases involving majors are likely to be elopement or wilfully leaving houses,” said a police officer. He also said that police would definitely try from various angles in the kidnap cases. They also make sure that their steps won’t frighten the kidnapper who may take untoward action against the kid.
Major kidnaps in city
- May 26, 2016 - 11-month-old B Navadeep abducted from Pithapuram colony; kid left
- April 29, 2016 - K Uday (8) kidnapped from Anakapalle; murdered
- April 13, 2016 - Kidnap of six-year-old by his father from Pendurthi; rescued
- December 22, 2015 - Divya (7) kidanapped from Devarapalle; murdered
- April 25, 2015 - Vamsi Krishna (9) kidnapped from Gopalapatnam; rescued