By IANS,
Patna : A number of kidnapping cases, including that of a schoolboy, a youth and a businessman, have been reported from across Bihar in the last 10 days. Yet the state police, citing official data, claim there has been a sharp decline in the number of abductions for ransom.
The police have also claimed a considerable decline in organised crime, including murder, robbery, bank dacoity and road holdups in the state in the last three years.
The data compiled by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Bihar police said that 42 cases of kidnapping for ransom have been reported till September this year.
It is a drastic fall compared to 89 cases in 2007, 194 cases in 2006, 251 in 2005 and a high of 411 in 2004.
According to the police data, the state recorded a decline of 39 percent in the cases of kidnapping for ransom in 2005 as compared to the total cases registered in 2004. Similarly the corresponding years recorded a decrease of 23 percent in 2006 and 54 percent in 2007.
State police spokesperson Anil Sinha said that the decline in cases of organised crime was possible due to improved law and order.
The latest police figure has come less than nine days ahead of completion of three years in office by the state government led by Nitish Kumar.
Nitish Kumar, soon after he came to power in Nov 2005, said that Bihar would be made crime free in three months.
While the government claims that law and order has improved in the state in the last three years, newspapers here are full of reports of kidnapping, murder, looting, and extortion.
Even in Patna, reports of murder, looting and robbery keep giving sleepless nights to residents.
Bihar’s kidnapping industry is clearly thriving. Lawyers, doctors, contractors, businessmen and school students have been the prime targets of abductors for ransom.
Hundreds of well-to-do professionals have migrated to other states or sent their children to boarding schools outside the state.
Bihar saw its kidnapping industry develop in the early 1990s.
Police officials – both serving and retired – say that crime gangs have proliferated because almost all political parties in Bihar patronise criminals and thugs to win elections.
Over the years, many criminals have taken to politics and become legislators and MPs.
When kidnappings occur, huge ransom amounts are sought – ranging from Rs.100,000 to millions of rupees. Barring rare exceptions, almost all kidnap victims have been males.