India Today Cover Story [Fear in the City]

October 6, 1997

CRIME
Fear in the City

The rich and the famous take cover as criminal gangs and terrorists discover that extortion and ransom have become a sunrise industry.

By Samar Halarnkar, Sayantan Chakravarty and Smruti Koppikar

You might like to be Jayaram Banan. At 42, he's made his millions selling idlis and dosas. Former prime ministers and sundry luminaries frequent the famous Sagar, his 10-restaurant chain in Delhi. Banan, a migrant from faraway Mangalore in coastal Karnataka, pulls in Rs 70 lakh a month.

Would you really like to be Jayaram Banan? In the past year, he has lost 8kg and has "brain-splitting" headaches. His doctors assure him that he's healthy. They tested his blood half a dozen times and ran four MRI scans to convince him. Banan doesn't realise it but he's called his wife 10 times in less than 30 minutes, asking her the same question: "Are the children home yet?"

You wouldn't want to be Jayaram Banan. When wealth and fame walked in through the door, an invisible visitor followed: envy. Throughout this year, he's been incessantly abused and threatened by criminal gangs from Uttar Pradesh. The phone calls terrify him. "B***d, kitne din security ke saath jiyega? M***d, ek na ek din tera security to hata denge, tab teri g***d marenge. (How long will you live with security? It has to go some day and then we will f*** you)." In coarse Hindi, the abuses roll on.

His wife weeps as Banan narrates how he lives in constant fear of being kidnapped, even killed. "I lead a life of relentless agony," he says as four armed guards keep watch. "I can't take a walk in the park. My kids can't play like other kids. I fear for my family all the time."

All over India, a great terror has descended on the rich and famous. For years they flaunted their Mercedes Benzs and flashed their gold. But from Tinsukhia to Telengana, from Bulandshahr to Bangalore -- where kidnappings for ransom were unheard of until this year -- hordes of criminal gangs and terrorists are discovering that the quickest way to riches is to deprive the rich of their fortunes. They extort money by threatening people with death or by holding a son or daughter hostage till the family pays a ransom. "Abducting for ransom is fast becoming a lucrative way to make big bucks," says Bangalore Police Commissioner L. Revanasiddaiah. "Compared to other crimes, the material gain is grossly disproportionate to the effort and risk involved."

In Assam, the extortions come in the form of scrupulously polite letters. One began with "Respected Sir" and went on to request "financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh only" for the Bodoland struggle. P.S., the note said, "Result

When They Strike Home

A rough guide to deal with kidnappers and ransom demands

Do not panic or begin calling relatives. Call the police immediately, but top officials, no one else.

Insist on absolute secrecy. A formal complaint need not be lodged; secret FIRs have been filed.

If you do not inform the police and make a payment, chances are a bigger ransom will be demanded.

Do not talk to the media. Any leaks can alert the kidnappers, and the victim's life can be jeopardised.

Cooperate with the police. The faster they know about business contacts and employees, the better.

Play for time when receiving a ransom call. It panicks the kidnappers and gives time to track them.

Employ guards if you can. Install alarm systems and change daily routines.

must be positive otherwise you will be shot dead." In Mumbai, television producer Anil Chaudhary gets cruder calls from the local mafiosi: "Pay us Rs 10 lakh or I will finish you in 24 hours." His three children no longer go to school and college. Small-time goons are diving into the business. "Every caller says 'Dubai ke bhai ne kaha hai' but how do I know it is the Dubai don? It could be any tapori (ruffian) from Dadar," says Chaudhary. Increasingly, that is what is happening.

What's particularly alarming is that civil society threatens to fall apart as these transactions gather momentum. Very few go to the police, preferring to make private deals with their tormentors when they are threatened or a loved one is kidnapped. It's not surprising. The police admit they can't cope, and when criminals are caught, virtually no one wants to testify. In Delhi 90 people were kidnapped for ransom in the past 55 months. More than two-thirds of these cases were solved and 194 kidnappers arrested. Convictions? Nil. It's the same story in other cities. The message: the police can't look after you. "Given that extortion and kidnapping for ransom are now big issues, the tycoons must arrange for their own private security," says B.K. Gupta, additional commissioner (crime), Delhi.

So look after yourself. That's what those who can afford it are doing. Surveillance cameras keep watch over houses, doors and windows are rigged with alarm systems and bullet-proof cars, once the preserve of officials and politicians, are showing up on the driveways of corporate India. All over the country, private security agencies are flourishing. Aftab Ahmed Khan, former head of Mumbai's elite anti-terrorist squad, resigned from service last June and set up Vigilante, a private security service. In less than 15 months, he has three branches, 1,000 guards on his payroll and a long client list, including Kishen Kumar, brother of slain music mogul Gulshan Kumar.

More

Confessions of Kidnappers

Keeping Kidnappers at Bay

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