The ease with which kidnappers: fare able to obtain huge sums from the families of their victims makes the kidnapping profession an easy and lucrative one but the refusal of such families to ce-operate with' the police in bringing these evildoers to book makes police work in Shanghai exceedingly difficult. Thi comment was made to a representa.
ive of the "NorthChina- Daily News" bya high official of the Shanghai Municipal Police when questioned with reference to reports that certain victims who jin to have "escaped" from the clutches of kidnapping gangs bad paid fabulous sums for their free-Som, It iz reported that, in two recent cases, one of the victims paid as much as $200,000 for his release, while the second man paid out $50,000.
The official referred to said that he was certain that large sum: of merey were paid to kidnappers by the families of victims who feared he kidnappers would carry "at soir threats to torture or murder their captives in the event of money not being handed over, The police were never given a chance to que tion the victims after they wa released. In the present instance, tone had left for the south and the other had gone to Hangchow.
or ce-operate with us in any way,"
"These people will of asst us the "Nosth-China Daily News" was informed by the police official con: cerned. "That is' what makes ide napping so easy and police worl s0 hard. "After the vietinfs have been released, they refuse' to see the Police and the families decline to Say anything. These people are Kidnapped in' the Settlement. and, in a few minutes, they are wi oit"into. Chinese' tertiary, they are held whilst secret' negotioe tions are conducted "with "their families, "There is no question what. ever that large sums are paid."
Asked whether or not prosecutions ould be brought agains: rach people (or t the police, 0 informant said that, under the laws for the suppression of kidnapping, they could but, as soon as they were solesed, they left for ther place, prosecutions, and the police were unable to bring
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