Rawalpindi district has seen a rise in one of the most heinous crimes – kidnapping for ransom. Compared to three cases reported last year, six persons, including three children, have so far been kidnapped this year. It must be said though that police recovered four victims, and arrested 10 kidnappers, in the meantime.

Families of four-year-old Hashir Siddiqui of Rawalpindi and Sajjad Hussain of Taxila continue suffering the painful separation and praying for early reunion with their loved ones.

Little Hashir was playing when five robbers barged in his house in Asghar Mall Scheme in the densely populated Banni locality on May 2. The gang demanded the family at gunpoint to handover cash and gold ornaments. When the family hesitated they took the little boy hostage and fled, saying he will be freed after a ransom is paid. Later the kidnappers conveyed a demand of Rs10 million, a sum beyond the capacity of the family.

Regional Police Officer Muhammad Wisal Fakhar Sultan Raja believes the kidnappers were not linked to any terror group, like Al-Qaeda or the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and were “ordinary criminals” from the militancy-racked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“They will be captured soon,” assures the officer. However, mere words are no consolation to the family, especially Hashir’s distraught mother.

Another four-year-old, Shah Zaib, was kidnapped in Taxila in March. His mother must have felt lucky, and greatly relieved, as the three kidnappers released him after receiving Rs1 million in ransom. Police, however, did track down the kidnappers who are in jail now.

A sole criminal kidnapped a goldsmith at gunpoint in Rawalpindi the same month. Saleem Iqbal of Bagh Sardaran was in some sense luckier as his brother Nadeem Ali secured his freedom for a relatively small sum of Rs100,000. Kidnapper Amir Ali took his prey to his house and telephoned his ransom demand to Nadeem who hurriedly obliged to save the life of his brother.

Once safely home, the brothers did not care for the kidnapper’s warning to remain silent and informed the police. Kidnapper Amir was arrested and is facing a trial in court.

Another sole kidnapper who abducted a seven-year-old boy from Bahria Town on the outskirts of Rawalpindi in February had grander designs. He demanded Rs2.6 million from the family for releasing Rao Mohammad but eventually came down to Rs2 million.

In the process, however, he gave himself up to the father of Rao as the domestic servant the family had sacked. The Rawat police tracked him down and recovered Rao safely.

In the same month of February, schoolboy Abdul Hadi was seized by two kidnappers in nearby rural Kallar Syedan while he was going home after school. His shrieks and struggle however brought villagers to his rescue.

Unfortunately his ordeal is not over. The two suspects in the failed kidnapping continue to deliver him threats of “dire consequences”.

According to a police official associated with the investigation wing the conviction rate in kidnapping for ransom cases has been low because, once their loved one is back home, families of the victims do not pursue the cases.

“They don’t want to indulge themselves in court and police procedures,” he said.

But the consequence is that perpetrators of heinous crimes go scot free for want of evidence, the police official said.

Perhaps, the bigger reason for the victims staying away from the prosecution process is the fear of the criminals that continues to haunt them for long. Indeed, kidnappings for ransom greatly affect neighbours, relatives and close associates of the victim family, turning some paranoid.

Abduction of children of doctors is known to have persuaded many medical practitioners to move abroad.

Even police are found helpless if the criminals remove their prey and stolen cars to lawless tribal areas, which they often do. That is why “undocumented” persons from outside residing in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are seen with suspicion and considered a risk.

Asked whether a victim family pay ransom to the kidnappers or not, a police officer related to counter-terrorism said: “Since the perpetrators holding a victim in ‘no go areas’ are safe from law enforcement, there is no other option to win back your individual or vehicle.” 

Lack of coordination among the Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Motorway police on department level had been another major factor in the increase in terrorism and kidnapping cases, added the officer.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2015

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