Unsafe: 11 abduction cases every week in Gurugram, say police

GURUGRAM: The cases of abduction or kidnapping have increased by 42% in the city compared to 2017, according to the police data.

The police data, till June 15, reveals that the cases of abduction or kidnapping increased to 11 per week on an average, up from eight cases in the same period in 2017.

While 195 such cases were registered till mid-june 2017, 278 cases were filed in 2018 in the same period — an increase of 42%.

Just past midnight on June 5, Rajneesh Kumar, 35, from Bihar was waiting near Iffco Chowk when he was offered a lift to his house by two people in a white Swift Dzire car.

A little into the journey, the man sitting in the co-driver’s seat pulled out a gun and asked Kumar to make a call to his residence for a ransom of ₹50,000, Kumar said. Kumar gathered courage and jumped out of the moving car to escape the clutches of his abductors, following which he informed the police about the incident. The police maintain that largely, abductions do not take place for a ransom and most of the cases are that of elopement or pertain to personal disputes.

Gurugram commissioner of police, KK Rao, said, “Of these, cases there are hardly one or two cases a year of kidnap for ransom. There are no such gangs operating in Gurugram.”

Rao said that a lot of these cases were filed by parents whose daughters eloped with a man and sometimes, such cases are filed by the man’s family.

“There are some incidents in which people were abducted and robbed of their belongings, but these are few in number,” the commissioner said.

Data of the same period showed that incidents of riots have increased to 85 from 72.

Also, cases of death due to negligent driving increased to 220 from 189, assault on public servant increased from 23 to 34, and motor vehicle thefts increased from 1740 to 2177.

Meanwhile, cases of murder and rape have come down marginally.while 33 cases of murder were reported till June 15 this year, 52 cases were reported in

POLICE SAY MOST ABDUCTIONS DO NOT TAKE PLACE FOR RANSOM AND ARE CASES OF ELOPEMENT OR PERSONAL DISPUTES

the same period in 2017, a dip of 36%. The cases of rape have decreased by a marginal 5%. While 54 cases were reported in 2018 till June 15, 57 cases were reported in 2017 during the same

period. On the increase in cases of riots, Rao said that these were small incidents and added that none of them was “communal in nature”. He said that the situation is peaceful in Gurugram.

“Things have improved in terms of security, but a lot has to be done. One thing that could help significantly is lighting up all nooks and corners of the city. This could help in reducing several crimes,” said Colonel (retd) Raj Singla, 73, who lives close to Sohna Road and has been living in the city for the last 22 years.