Chennai: The trend of kidnapping of men and women for marriage never seems to go down. As many as 31,942 persons were abducted in 2015 in order to get them married, as the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) suggest.
India saw as many as 84,483 persons being kidnapped in 2015. The he figure also includes four women who were aged above 60 years, and 349 children including 3 boys aged below 6 years who were all kidnapped for the purpose of marriage. In all, 58 among those kidnapped for marriage were male.
Statistics revealed a steady increase in the number of persons being kidnapped and also corresponding increase in the number of persons being kidnapped for the purpose of marriage.
As many as 78,446 persons were kidnapped across India in 2014 of whom 31,040 were kidnapped for marriage.In 2013, India recorded that 66,441 persons were kidnapped, of whom 30,139 were kidnapped for the purpose of marriage.
A senior police official reasoned that elopement among the families in India get mostly registered as a kidnap complaint which keeps the purpose of marriage alive and kicking in statistics.
“The families, despite being aware of the fact that their children had eloped by mutual consent, would still file a complaint of kidnap and would insist that the same be pursued. But, in most cases, it would be proved otherwise. NCRB statistics are based on FIR’s registered across India. Thus, the number hovers always above the rest of the heads,” the official told DC. In 2015, as many as 685 were kidnapped for adoption and 25 for begging while 3,355 were kidnapped for illicit affairs.
Only 806 persons were kidnapped for ransom while 131 were kidnapped to be forced into prostitution while 444 were kidnapped for revenge and 31 kidnapped for sale. Two people were kidnapped for illegal organ harvest, 11 for slavery, 1,210 for unlawful activity and 1,184 to be murdered.
