KARACHI (PPI) - The data of Anti-violent Crime Cell (AVCC) and Central Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) shows that the incidents of kidnapping of ransom have increased in Karachi in January 2010 as compared to the same month last year. As per the available data in January 2009 seven cases of kidnapping for ransom were reported from Karachi, including three cases of kidnapping of schoolchildren. However, in January 2010, 14 cases of kidnapping for ransom were reported in the city, showing hundred percent rise as compared to the cases reported in January last year. The data of CPLC shows that 17 people were kidnapped in these 14 cases. Official sources said that nine hostages were recovered with the assistance of police and CPLC without payment of any ransom, three people got freedom after paying ransom, while remaining five hostages were yet to be recovered. The official data shows that in the year of 2009, a total of 73 cases of kidnapping for ransom were reported in Karachi, while in the year 2008, 84 such cases had been reported, which shows that in the year 2009 the cases of kidnapping for ransom slightly declined in Karachi. Eighty people were kidnapped in the 73 cases reported in 2009, while 91 people kidnapped in 84 cases of such crime as reported in the year 2008. AVCC chief SSP Farooq Awan told PPI that during the operations to recover hostages, the AVCC apprehended eight accused in January 2010. He agreed that kidnapping of seventeen people from Karachi in the month of January 2010 is a worrisome sign; as such cases had actually declined last year. He said during the year of 2008, 47 accused of kidnapping of ransom were arrested while last year (2009) 45 such accused were arrested. He said the kidnapping of ransom provides easy money to criminals; that is why such cases are on rise. He said on the basis of interrogations from arrested accused and analysis of the trend of crime, investigators believe that criminals just want to get large chunks of money in shortest possible time. He said now criminals in some cases are targeting people form low income groups and sometimes demanding ransom as low as Rs20,000 to Rs30,000, keeping in view the financial condition of their families. To a question about the involvement on militant outfits in this crime, he disclosed that since 2008 only three cases of kidnapping of ransom had been reported in which militant outfits were involved. He said these three people kidnapping by militants include transporter Shaukat Afridi, filmmaker Satish Anand and Aqeel Haji. SSP Awan claimed over the years many notorious gangs involved in kidnapping for ransom cases had been eliminated or their members arrested. He said some gangs are still active in the city, but actually they are based in the interior Sindh and Balochistan. They kidnap people from Karachi and shift him to the interior Sindh or Balochistan, he added. Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief Sharaf-uddin Memon said that in order to stop this heinous crime, we have to document the data about mobile phone SIMS. We have to enhance the technical assistance of Sindh police, properly man the entry and exit point of the city, and run the main control room of police with the technical support from 15 emergency help line. He said the surge in kidnapping for ransom cases in January 2010 is because of the fact that the criminals have now introduced what he called 'short-term kidnapping; that is kidnapping people without knowing their actual financial background and later negotiating and haggling over the amount of ransom with their families. Memon said that though 14 cases of kidnapping for ransom were registered last month, but most hostages were released without payment of any ransom. He said it was also observed that criminals jailed in various prisons were also running gangs from inside the jails with use of mobile phones. We need technological support to combat this crime, effectively.