“Earlier we had a hard-time convincing people that they better approach and fully coordinate us in any suspected cases of kidnapping,” said DSP Sher Bahadur Basnet, chief of anti-kidnapping cell at Metropolitan Police Crime Investigation Division MPCID, adding, “Now our engagement is limited to dealing with people´s fears and suspicions. We counsel them after finding out the truth.”
The capital witnessed eight major cases of kidnappings in addition to scores of those that went unrecorded just within a year. The heart-rending saga of Khyati Shrestha, who was brutally murdered after kidnapping by her ex landlord Biren Pradhan, was one among them. Investigative officers believe that the cases made the public vigilant against the risk of being kidnapped. At first, it even made people to point the finger of suspicion on every new face and even manhandle them.
“This is a welcome sign that people trust the police for prompt response to their problems,” Basnet added. However, most of the complaints that people have lodged refer to uninformed absence of their close relatives. A couple of weeks ago, a woman rushed to MPCID complaining that her husband was out of contact and said she feared he was abducted. However, her husband turned up the next morning and said that he was on a visit to Manakamana Temple.
“A complaint whatsoever is not a problem for us. But people should inculcate the habit of keeping their family members well-informed about themselves,” said DSP Tarini Lamsal of MPCID. “Lack of this practice leads to the family members having unnecessary doubts.”
An investigative officer said, “The husband could be attending a late night party. Meanwhile, his wife, who is unaware of it, anxiously calls the police to rescue her ´kidnapped´ husband. This is because of lack of proper communication among family members.”
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