Express Kidnapping Abduction planned to last not more than a few hours solely for the purpose of getting maximum money and valuables out of the person within that short span of time is called Express or Short Term Kidnapping It has been and is of a high occurrence rate in Karachi. According to CPLC the vast majority of cases go unreported therefore statistics, whatever they may be, are of little value. Almost all areas of Karachi have been and are, locations where gangs have operated and even supposedly safer or posh areas of Clifton and DHA and KDA have seen incidents taking place. Boat Basin, Seaview beach, area adjacent to Clifton Medical Centre ( Agha Khan), M A Jinnah Road at many points, M T Khan Road have become known for these activities in the southern part of town. Good residential areas like North Nazimabad, KDA and Gulshan e Iqbal have the same issues. Methods vary; forcible entry into a car when it stops at traffic light or slows at a traffic speed-bump, forcibly getting onto a motorbike, hold-ups at ATMs, intercepting people just outside their residences, or while people wait outside schools to pick their children; and such like situations. Precautions would be the same as avoiding any potential mugger/ armed robber on the street which have been shared earlier, to include: Always keep car doors locked and windows up Use detachable sun-shades on side and rear windows of car Place some bag on rear part/ carrier of motorbike to disallow someone from jumping on board Remain alert to people loitering at traffic lights; if you feel uncomfortable, move on, turn left and leave that location. Avoid talking on phone while driving; it disallows you from concentrating on the road and related activities Always move in a purposeful manner at a relatively quicker rate, whether on foot or in a car. Do not spend time with your wallet, purse or phone when seated in the car/ on the motorbike; immediately drive off. Use ATMs which are inside malls and buildings, not the roadside ones. Call the security guard and alert him to the fact that you are inside using the machine, in case of a roadside ATM Do not sit in the car with idling engine, waiting. Switch off, lock the car and walk away to a distance. Never stop and talk to strangers asking for directions, reasonably dressed people purportedly working for some charity, persons asking for a lift, etc Do not carry unnecessary credit/ debit cards or details of your home address in your wallet In case you are unfortunate to get kidnapped, use your better judgment in trying to get out of the situation by either feigning panic or confusion or attracting attention of people; in a manner which does not imminently pose a threat to your life. Do not challenge the criminals; they do not have patience nor the nerves, and can most likely use the weapon they are carrying. If possible do try and get their description and report the crime to CPLC immediately. Go for main features like hair, beard etc, height, build, accent and clothes. Many criminals have been caught because of the colour and type of clothes, logos on T- Shirt etc There are many other ways of preventing and avoiding becoming a target of criminals who now are all over the city. It is important to remain alert and aware of this fact. Be proactive and report loiterers in your neighborhood to the police; irrespective of their inefficiency, pressure on the police will force the likely criminals away. Educate yourself on the Neighborhood Watch System of the CPLC, in your area, working in Karachi and Hyderabad, and see if you can organize that with the help of your local community. CPLC contact No is 021-35682222 and local area numbers can be had from here. Otherwise local chowkidars can be hired to patrol neighborhoods as well which is a good way to keep such criminals at bay. Persons residing in other parts of the country need to be equally aware of criminals on the road and the same precautions will apply there as well.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:12:16 +0000
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