Ransom gangs target missing kids' families, make fake calls for money

Organised crime syndicates in India have found an opportunity in the misery of parents searching for their lost children through media advertisements.

The father of a missing 13-year-old boy in the Capital was last month flooded with "fake" ransom calls on the day he posted an announcement in a Hindi daily.

FAKE RANSOM DEMANDS

Aayush Kumar, a student of Balwant Rai Mehta Vidya Bhawan in Greater Kailash-II, disappeared on June 6 from his residence in Devli area of south Delhi. Police have not been able to trace the teenager but the family started receiving suspicious calls asking for money in exchange for information about the child.

"My son went missing from our residence and since then we have no information about his location. We registered a missing person FIR at Neb Sarai police station but despite several attempts he could not be traced," said Subhash Kumar Choudhary. "The day we advertised about my son, I started getting calls on the number provided in the ad. The caller said that he knew where my son was and demanded money from me." The family agreed to pay the amount but said they wanted to speak to Aayush. They heard a kid's voice on the phone which was weak and could not be identified.

"We asked him to show my son and in exchange we agreed to pay the money. He called me to Laxmi Nagar metro station. I kept waiting for two hours but he didn't turn up and insisted that I transfer the money to his bank account," Subhash said. The family contacted the police who said the caller was a cheat and had switched off his mobile phone."We are trying to identify him using his mobile phone number and account details," a senior officer said.

SHOCKING HISTORY

According to Delhi police data, out of 2,252 missing children in 2016, it has traced 1,293.

A recent report by the department submitted before the Delhi High Court said that in 2011, a total of 5,111 children went missing, 4,602 were traced and 509 are yet to be found. The government last year launched the Khoya Paya, or "Lost and Found", website to help families trace the tens of thousands of children in India who go missing every year, often snatched for forced labour or sexual exploitation.

Activists too say that cases of fake kidnappings are on the rise. "It is extremely sad that some people have found profit in exploiting people's emotions. Organised gangs are active which are taking contact details of relatives of missing children and as per their financial status they demand money. They give sketchy details of the kid and try to trap the parents," said Rishi Kant, a member of the Delhi-based NGO Shakti Vahini. He also cited the example of a Ranchi-based family, which started getting calls from a man asking for ransom money after a child went missing.

Police found that the calls were coming from Chennai and the same person had contact other parents of missing children. NGOs are also advising families not to disclose the details of missing children through advertisements or via social media as they are being misused.

The Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation has also blown the lid off several such cases.

"There are instances where parents are asked to deposit money or keep valuables at isolated places and later they are told that their kid is at some faraway location. After paying money it is found that all the information was false," said Rakesh Sengar, director, victim assistance and campaign at Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation. "We always ask parents not to pay any money and inform the police."

Sengar added that in many cases roles of priests, tantriks and locals are found to be suspicious as they try to exploit vulnerable parents.

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