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October and November 2017October and November 2017October and November 2017

Kidnap and Ransom Report©October and November 2017

October and November 2017

Contents

• Risk Map

• Regional Summaries

• Americas

• Trendline: virtual kidnapping

• Trendline: sapatinho crime

• Africa

• Asia

• Middle East

• Europe


Global Summary

The number, scope and distribution of kidnappings reported over the months of October and November were generally in line with established trends. While abductions occurred in the United States, France and other developed countries, frequent and violent incidents of kidnapping remained mostly confined to countries with major security issues due to armed conflict, organised crime and/or failing state institutions. Most victims were from local populations, although instances of foreign nationals being abducted for extortion continued to be recorded globally.

Key Points

• ‘Virtual kidnappings’ in the Americas continue to increase in frequency and sophistication

• A spate of sapatinho crime, or ‘tiger kidnappings,’ continues in Brazil

• A slight uptick in K&R incidents in the Philippines

• Few positive signs regarding the extreme K&R situation in Nigeria


Kidnap Risk Map

SI RISK K&R August 2017

Risk map

ExtremeInsignificant


Regional Summaries

Americas

Abductions were reported across the Americas during the October-November period, including in the United States and Canada. However, targeted/political kidnappings and ransom schemes involving abduction and/or violence remained overwhelmingly concentrated in Latin America. Countries where drug trafficking cartels are highly active, such as Mexico and Colombia, continued to be substantially overrepresented in the data.

Notably, incidents of ‘virtual kidnappings’ in the Americas increased again in the October-November period, as did so-called sapatinho (‘baby shoes’) crime in Brazil, which has been surging this year. [See sections below]

Africa

The number of kidnappings reported in Africa over October and November continued to be more than anywhere else in the world. Despite several recent high-profile arrests in Nigeria – including that of Chukwudubem Onwuamadike (aka ‘Evans’), who masterminded the abduction of some 20 prominent individuals, netting ransoms exceeding $1m US – the country remains a regional hub for the crime. In fact, kidnapping incidents in Nigeria slightly increased, in both frequency and scope, over the past two months. Elsewhere in Africa, the highest rates of kidnapping continued to be reported in countries with major security challenges, such as Libya, Mali and Sudan.

Middle East

The combination of civil war in Yemen and Syria, a renewed and strengthening Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, and the enduring problems of terrorism and insecurity across the region, meant kidnapping persisted as a serious security risk to those in the Middle East over the reporting period. No emerging trends were identified.

Asia

Rates of kidnapping in Asia remained generally steady over October and November. The Philippines, however, was an exception. An ongoing armed insurgency in Sulu province, as well as the besiegement of the southern city of Marwari by Islamic terrorists, contributed to an uptick in abductions in the country over the two months.

Europe

Incidents of kidnapping in Europe stayed low by global standards during the reporting period. Although isolated abductions were reported in several western European countries, the most numerous and serious cases continued to be clustered in Eastern Europe and Russia.

A so-called ‘express kidnapping,’ a crime that has become commonplace in parts of Latin America, was reported in Spain. At this stage, however, it does not appear indicative of wider regional trend.


Americas

BRAZIL 06/10 Armed bandits wearing vests marked ‘Civil Police’ abduct a man outside Porto Alegre

CHILE 07/11 A 25-year-old man is arrested in the city of Concepción for allegedly kidnapping a local trader and demanding a US$20,000 ransom

COLOMBIA 08/11 Three city offi cials from Almaguer (Cauca Department) are kidnapped while travelling towards the El Bordo township

COLOMBIA 18/10 The sister of a government offi cial kidnapped by ELN rebels is released near La Palma village after two days captivity and presumed payment of ransom

COLOMBIA 21/10 Authorities rescue an aviation technician abducted four days earlier in Bogota

HONDURAS 23/10 Three young women are kidnapped in Las Vegas (Santa Barbara Department)

MEXICO 06/11 Four Salvadoran migrants abducted by Los Zetas cartel are released after 16 days captivity; each was reportedly required to a supply a US$6000 ransom

MEXICO 04/11 The dismembered body of an abducted man is found in Tuxpan; his partner, who paid a ransom, is also found dead later in the day

MEXICO 09/10 The son of the mayor of Tlacolulan municipality (Xalapan, Ver.) is abducted by unknown armed assailants overnight

MEXICO 05/10 A San Luis Potosi police reporter, kidnapped by several armed men posing as ministerial agents, is found murdered the following day

PERU 07/11 Police rescue a 19-year-old kidnapped by fi ve armed subjects in the municipality of Taraco; police connected the incident to drug traffi cking groups in the area

USA 07/11 Five members of M-16 gang are arrested by police for the attempted kidnapping of a Long Island teenager

Selected Incidents


Trendline: Virtual Kidnapping in Latin America

Incidents of so-called virtual kidnapping continued to increase in the Americas over the October-November period. As in the past, these crimes primarily originated out of Mexico, although there were also increased reports elsewhere in the region, such as Argentina.

Virtual kidnappings involve attempts to extort a ransom from individuals by falsely claiming to have abducted a loved one. Often this achieved by using information available on social media to contrive compelling, yet entirely fi ctional, scenarios of abduction. As they are frequently unable to be contacted for several hours, tourists and students are particularly vulnerable to this crime. Callers often need only to establish the name of the traveller or student and their emergency contact to extract small ransoms from panicked relatives.

However, as public awareness of this scam increases, criminals are devising and employing increasingly sophisticated tactics, primarily designed to make victims unwittingly isolate themselves from outside contact. Mexico’s Secretariat of the Interior, for instance, recently described how a growing number of hotel guests are being tricked into believing that a fearsome cartel is monitoring and controlling their accommodation. By opening the possibility of assault or even death at the hands of such groups, individuals will often readily comply with instructions designed to temporarily disconnect them from the outside world; during that period, the criminals will contact the victim’s relatives to extort a wired-transfer of money. In an October statement, the FBI also noted that there has been a discernible uptick in the number these crimes perpetrated inside Mexican prisons targeting individuals in the US.

Virtual kidnapping in Latin America: selected October-November incidentsMEXICO 04/11 A family in Rioverde pay US$1,000 of a total US$26,000 ransom to kidnappers before discovering ‘abducted’ relative was safe

MEXICO 11/10 Virtual kidnappers demand payment of US$15,500 before ‘abducted’ girl in Oaxaca is found to be safe; police linked the incident to CJNG cartel and established that the phone call for the virtual kidnapping was made from a Tamaulipas prison

MEXICO 08/10 Authorities in Zacatecas arrest several men allegedly responsible for a spate of virtual kidnappings in the state over recent months

MEXICO 06/10 The son of Rafael Inclán, a prominent Mexican actor, makes several payments of US$20,000 to Los Zetas cartel, falsely believing his father was held hostage and threatened in an Oaxaca hotel room

ARGENTINA 03/11 A Buenos Aires woman pays US$60,000 life-savings for ‘release’ of non-captured son

ARGENTINA 17/10 A lawyer in Caballito pays US$5000 and provides two gold watches to criminals falsely believing his mother-in-law was imperilled

ARGENTINA 22/10 Three Centenario residents report virtual kidnappings local to police on same day; in each case, the victims were made to believe family members were in danger and provided cash, jewellery and other valuables to ‘abductors’


Trendline: sapatinho (‘baby shoes’) crime in Brazil

Incidents of so-called sapatinho (‘baby shoes’) crime in Brazil continued to feature prominently in the October-November data. These schemes, which are sometimes called ‘tiger kidnappings’ because of their stealthy and prey-like character, typically involve criminals identifying an employee who has access to a company’s secured facilities, such as a safe, and then abducting him or her along with members their family. Threats are then made against the captured relatives to compel the worker into providing access to or stealing the company’s valuables on the behalf of the criminals.

Sapatinho crime in Brazil: selected 2017 incidents24/11 Three employees of a Caixa Econômica Federal bank in Ipojucathe are kidnapped on their way to work and forced to open the bank safe; the captors escape with an unspecifi ed amount of money; police suggest the abduction of family members during crime was likely

23/11 Three family members of a bank manager in Santa Bárbara d’Oeste are abducted during a successful robbery of the bank

18/11 Four suspects are arrested in Nerópolisin for kidnapping a Banco do Brasil branch manager and his family during a failed robbery earlier in the day

11/11 Authorities arrest a group for planning to abduct a bank manager in Anápolis; they allegedly monitored the man’s movements for two weeks

15/10 The manager of a bank in Belém, and his wife and grandson, are taken hostage by seven armed men outside the child’s school; the manager is initially compelled into opening the bank’s safe, however, for unspecifi ed reasons, the plot fails, and the family is freed unharmed

09/10 Two men are arrested for the attempted robbery of a bank in Santa Bárbara d’Oeste; a bank employee and family were involved in the incident

01/10 Police from the states of Tocantins, Maranhão and Pará jointly arrest nine members of a gang for robberies involving the kidnapping of bank managers and their relatives in those states

29/09 Nine people are arrested in the city of Para for the abduction of a Banco do Brasil branch manager in Silvanoplis; the manager and his family were held hostage while those involved gained access to the safe

19/08 A bank manager, his pregnant wife, and three-year-old son are abducted in São Félix do Araguaia; a suspicious colleague triggers an alarm in the bank during the incident and a gunfi ght ensues involving the police and military; the family is freed unharmed, and no theft takes place

18/08 Police recover US$43,000 and arrest members of a gang for the robbery of a Sicoob Cooperative credit union in Vale do Paraíso; the manager and relatives were held hostage during the incident

02/06 Approximately 30 heavily armed individuals kidnap employees of a transport company (‘Brinks’) as well as members of their family located in different cities; the victims were forced to provide access to a company safe in Juiz de Fora; the perpetrators fled after securing an undisclosed amount of money


Africa

EGYPT 27/10 Multiple individuals are abducted from a village southwest of Arish (Sinai) by armed men

LIBYA 03/11 Four foreigners (a German and three Turkish) working for General Electric are kidnapped by an armed group immediately upon arrival at Opare gas station (area of Qasr Ben Ghashir)

LIBYA 28/10 Twelve people abducted from the city of Sorman are released in Vrchvana after thirteen days captivity

MALI 31/10 Five Malian soldiers and a civilian driver are killed attempting to rescue a kidnapped government offi cial

NIGERIA 29/11 A former government minister and his son are abducted by unidentifi ed gunmen in Lagos overnight

NIGERIA 26/11 US$225,000 ransom is demanded for the release of a Nigerian senator abducted, along with driver, earlier in the week outside the capital, Abuja

NIGERIA 12/11 Nigerian pirates release six crewmembers of a German-owned container ship who were taken hostage on October 21

NIGERIA 31/10 A nurse working at a hospital in Gombe State is kidnapped by armed bandits

NIGERIA 28/10 A kidnapped Chinese national is rescued by Ogun State police; one man is arrested

NIGERIA 25/10 A Portuguese national is kidnapped during an ambush of a construction site in Kogi State

NIGERIA 12/10 An Italian priest is reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint in southern Edo state, part of the Niger Delta region

SOUTH AFRICA 19/10 A man kidnapped during an armed robbery in Ladysmith is found alive

SUDAN 17/11 Authorities secure the release of a Swiss humanitarian aid worker abducted in North Darfur State in October

Selected Incidents


Asia

BANGLADESH 08/11 Two missing businessmen are found dead in Dhaka after a presumed failed kidnap for ransom

INDIA 20/11 Police in Madurai city arrest an eight-member gang responsible for the abduction of a businessman’s daughter; a US$60,000 ransom paid for her release is also recovered

INDIA 27/10 Eight men are arrested after kidnapping a child in Khandagiri area for performing black magic

INDIA 14/10 A US$120,000 ransom paid for the release of four abducted bank employees in Tripura state is recovered; those responsible are arrested

MALAYSIA 03/11 Three men receive life prison sentences and cane lashings for the abduction of a businessman for ransom six years ago

THE PHILIPPINES 28/11 The militant group Abu Sayyaf releases six individuals, including a child, who were kidnapped in October in Sulu province; it is estimated that at least 22 people are still being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf, including seven foreign nationals

THE PHILIPPINES 01/11 Trial begins in Angeles City of a group of police offi cers accused of kidnapping three Korean tourists last year and forcing them to pay just under US$6,000 for their release

THE PHILIPPINES 20/10 The Philippine military rescues ten hostages held by Islamist militants in the besieged city of Marawi; a Malaysian man held hostage was found murdered

THE PHILIPPINES 17/10 Five suspects are arrested for the abduction of 3 foreign nationals (two Koreans and one Chinese) earlier in the month

THE PHILIPPINES 05/10 The Philippine military rescues 17 hostages held by Islamist militants in Marawi

Selected Incidents


Middle East

AFGHANISTAN 12/11 Fourteen men are detained for alleged involvement in recent kidnappings of businessmen and various robberies in Kabul

AFGHANISTAN 16/10 Six Iranian nationals travelling on a highway near Ghor Herat are abducted by suspected Taliban militants

AFGHANISTAN 08/10 An Indian engineer kidnapped in Wardak province is rescued by police

GEORGIA 31/10 Two men, believed to be Russian nationals, abduct two residents from a village in Kaspi region

GEORGIA 15/10 Four men are arrested for planning an elaborate kidnap plot against a businessman

IRAQ 25/11 Gunmen storm a village northeast of Baghdad, kidnapping a local Turkmen councillor, his two sons and a nephew

IRAQ 26/10 Three Lebanese businessmen abducted after arriving at Baghdad airport are released following three days captivity and presumed ransom payment

LEBANON 11/11 A Saudi national is kidnapped from his house in Mount Lebanon governorate

PAKISTAN 28/10 The deputy governor of Afghanistan’s Kunar province is abducted by gunmen in Peshawar

PAKISTAN 21/10 A woman is reported kidnapped in the Orangi Town area of Karachi

YEMEN 25/10 Houthi militia abduct six people in the province of Thi al-Naïm

YEMEN 16/10 Houthi militia abduct twenty people from Shabwa governorate

SYRIA 03/10 A Jordanian civilian kidnapped for ransom by an armed group in southern Syria several days prior is rescued by the Jordanian military

Selected Incidents


Europe

FRANCE 02/11 The disappearance of a jogger in Haute-Saône is treated as an abduction case

ITALY 27/10 A man is arrested for attempting to abduct a child from a Turin street

UK 06/10 A man from Newport is arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a 29-year-old woman from the area

RUSSIA 13/11 Two men kidnap a student from the audience of an event at the St. Petersburg Agrarian University

RUSSIA 05/11 Human rights activists report the kidnapping of seven residents in Grozny, Chechnya by members of law enforcement

RUSSIA 31/10 Human remains found in Kovrov (Dagestan) are presumed to be those of a man kidnapped by masked assailants earlier in the year

RUSSIA 02/10 Witnesses report the abduction of a man by three unknown individuals in central Moscow

SPAIN 27/10 A man is rescued by police in Madrid after an ‘express’ kidnapping, in which two men (later arrested) threatened and demanded he withdrew €3,000 from an ATM before the police intervened

UKRAINE 25/10 A man is kidnapped by masked men on the streets of Zaporozhye during the day

Selected Incidents


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