organ trade behind abduction

MUMBAI: Mention crime, and murder and rape are the first to strike the mind. But there is another crime that arguably causes similar trauma, yet goes almost unnoticed: abduction.

The felony rose by 77% in six years, from 23,991 in 2006 to 42,580 in 2011, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In comparison, murders remained around the 34,000 mark in the corresponding period and rapes rose by 24% (from 19,348 to 23,982).

Again, while the perception is that most abductions are carried out for ransom, in reality the main reason is marriage (92,866 cases from 2006 to 2011). Illicit intercourse is next on the list, but with 17,485 cases, is a distant second. Ransom is third, with 4,096 cases. Thus, ransom cases are just about 4.5% of marriage ones, and about 23.5% of illicit-intercourse cases. Other reasons include adoption, slavery (563 cases from 2006 to 2011), prostitution, begging (241), revenge and even camel racing (3 cases in 2007, 2 in 2010). Going by the number of slavery- and begging-related cases, though they are a very small fraction of the cases related to other reasons, they very much substantiate the abyss of human depravity portrayed in the film Slumdog Millionaire, which some critics had called apocryphal at the time of its release. One reason for abduction is also the sale of body parts; 1 case was registered in 2006, 10 in 2010 and 2 in 2011.