When abduction is fun
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KATHMANDU, DEC 10 - On July 19, Ramila Pandey, 16, of Balaju went to college but did not return home. Early morning the next day, three boys in two motorcycles handed a letter to her brother, which left him stunned. It said Pandey had been abducted and only a ransom of Rs. 5 million would secure her safe return. Her brother resorted to police for help. After hours, Pandey was back home.
On July 20, as police struggled with Pandey's case, Mamata Bhujel, 20, rang her parents up and told them she had been kidnapped. Her panic-stricken parents' incessant efforts to return her call went in vain. Another call informed that Bhujel, a beautician by profession, had been whisked away by a man in his 30s and a dark-complexioned girl. Clueless, they too went to police.
The next day Bhujel returned home safe and sound.
Abduction are on the rise, but the cases mentioned here are somewhat strange, for they were fake.
While Pandey's intention was to force her parents to cough up money, Bhujel simply wanted to stay a night out with her friends.
Police say such cases of fake abductions have them worried. For one, it spreads panic. Secondly, police have to bear unnecessary burden.
The Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) recorded six cases of 'feigned abductions' in the last five months, three cases less than in 2008.
“Teenagers and youths are increasingly showing the tendency to resort to such means just for the sake of fun. This is really disturbing,” says Superintendent of Police Sher Bahadur Basnet at MPCD.
But why are such tendencies on the rise?
“Influenced by western movies and fantasy novels, today's youths have taken up feigning their own abduction as a means for reaping fun. Sadly, they don't understand the ramifications,” says criminologist Govind Bahadur Thapa.
Lack of healthy environment at home, movies and fantasy novels sometimes inculcate such ideas the minds of youngsters, say experts.
“Parents must be very watchful. The onus is on parents, guardians and teachers. We must give the kids a healthy environment,” says psychologist Ganga Pathak. It will be better if such tendencies are nipped in the bud.
Posted on: 2009-12-10 10:14
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