The kidnapping incident that has been reported recently in Fatorda must have sent shock waves of fear and apprehension amongst the many parents whose kids are in schools or otherwise.
Though the details of this brazen incident are bare minimum, interestingly four minor boys from a Higher Secondary School were the victims and the perpetrators also being four, thus making the act though outrageous yet somewhat puzzling.
However, the swift manner in which the parents of kidnapped boys were able to entice the kidnappers and rescue their wards quite easily in a brave manner deserves to be appreciated. Again here too there is little information how exactly it was accomplished.
The encouraging thing is that all the four accused are in the custody of Fatorda Police and hopefully more facts will come to light as investigation progresses. Still it defeats one’s imagination how four grown up boys were easily trapped to be the victims by another four criminally inclined youths for the sake of receiving huge ransom of Rs75,000 from each.
Looks like that nowadays more and more criminals are resorting to kidnapping of kids, specially of those who are flaunting signs of wealth in the form of expensive mobiles, bikes, pocket money, etc. Temptation to earn big money quickly, in the form of ransom, and lack of fear of law have emboldened many shady characters to resort to such nefarious acts. The law is also quite lenient when the offenders are under-aged. As a punishment they’re just sent to correction homes and come out after two or three years without being actually reformed.
In view of this, it becomes imperative for the parents to be extra careful and ever alert about their children and in equal measure for school authorities to inculcate in the students the importance of moral values as well creating awareness, to recognise instinctively any danger, especially coming from unknown individuals and unscrupulous friends.
It is also needed for the police and other law enforcement agencies to be vigilant and act immediately and decisively against all suspicious elements that appear to threaten the safety and security of our younger generation.
