Public Eye: Kidnapping for ransom on rise

A senior Pakistan customs official went out for an evening walk in a posh neighbourhood of the crime-plagued city of Karachi on July 18, but was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on his way home.

A few hours later, an anonymous caller informed the worried family that Aftab Anwar Baloch, a customs collector, had been kidnapped for ransom from the Defence Housing Authority neighbourhood. Since then his family is trying to negotiate his release.

On July 3, two gunmen sneaked into a farm located on the outskirts of Karachi in Gadab area and abducted five men of a rich family belonging to the Ismaili community. One of the victims was freed by kidnappers with a demand for millions of rupees as ransom. The family and the police are still trying to secure their release.

Kidnapping for ransom is on the rise in Pakistan's commercial hub, where earlier this year American reporter Daniel Pearl was abducted and brutally killed by extremists in what authorities described as retaliation to the U.S.-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

Barring the high-profile Pearl kidnap-slaying, which was done on political grounds, 19 other people have been kidnapped for ransom, compared to 13 abducted in 2001.

The victims included a Chinese businessman, who is among the only lucky two who were freed unscathed and without paying any money in early January.

Of the remaining 18 victims, three, including Pearl, were killed by their abductors, official statistics show.

At least eight victims were freed after the payment of millions of rupees as ransom, while six are still with the kidnappers.

The police and the victims often remain tight-lipped about the amount of money and the method of its transfer to kidnappers during and after the abductions for security reasons.

"There has been a rise in kidnapping incidents since late 2001," said Sharfuddin Memon, deputy chief of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee, which specialises in combating such cases.

The authorities, which once were very successful in tracking down kidnappers, are struggling against the new gangs using mobile and satellite phones for communication to their advantage.

In the early nineties when Karachi was shaken by a wave of kidnappings, authorities managed to bust most of the gangs because they used land lines for communication, Memon told Gulf News.

In 1990, Karachi recorded 79 kidnapping cases, the highest number since the country was carved out of British India in 1947. The figure began to drop in the wake of a series of steps initiated by the government, and in 1999 only five abduction cases were reported in the city.

"During the last 12 years, we have solved 213 kidnapping cases, or 80.37 per cent," Memon said. But in 2002, so far the success rate is only around 15 per cent, he said.

"The mobile telephones are not just used by gangs of criminals, but also by terrorists. The authorities can only get an idea about the neighbourhood from where the call is made, but are unable to zero down the exact location."

The criminals acquire mobile telephone connections on fake identity cards and references, he said. Now the government has asked the mobile telephone companies to be more vigilant in giving connection and ascertain all facts about their clients.

But senior police officials say that it is easier said than done because tough competition often forces telephone dealers to ignore the government directives.

In the early nineties, the government had banned mobile telephone services in Karachi to combat crime and terrorism. But this time round no such step is on the cards, government officials said.

Memon said with the new technology and easy access to communication, criminals feel safe to operate. Police say that at least half a dozen gangs of professional kidnappers are operating in Karachi. And they take an average of four to five weeks to negotiate and free their victim after the transfer of money.

Earlier this year, one of the gangs started targeting jewellers, especially in places like Kharadar, where many of the rich families of traders and businessmen operate. The gang remains at large and is striking at regular intervals, Memon said. There is another gang operating on the outskirts of Karachi and so far has committed at least five to six abductions.

"We have got some important clues to both these gangs and hope to get hold of them soon," he added. "But such crimes and terrorism are an international problem. Pakistani authorities with their limited resources can only achieve limited success."