Kidnapping in Syria becomes rampant either to earn living or for vengeance

One day, 40-year-old Ahmed went out of his shop in a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus late in the night. As he walked few meters away and curved into a lane, a man approached him from behind asking him about an address. The moment Ahmed pointed his finger to guide the guy, three men rushed to him and bundled him into a car that disappeared in a flash. Three hours later, a man called Ahmed's parents and told them that their son had been kidnapped and demanded seven million Syrian pounds (100,000 U.S. dollars) to get him back. Here, difficult negotiations between the two parties had started and lasted for several days and ended up by the release of Ahmed after paying the ransom. However, Ahmed's suffering didn't stop here as the family has imposed house arrest on the young man in order to prevent the repetition of a similar incident. This incident is similar to hundreds of stories that have lately hit the Syrians in a state that is witnessing a surge in the number of the kidnappers and the abducted with multiple goals. As the government is preoccupied with fighting what it called armed terrorist groups it holds responsible for the nationwide turbulences and bloody events, the families took the task of liberating their sons, some of whom have returned unhurt, others were distorted or killed. And with every new kidnapping, families are getting more tensed and their fear of leaving the house increases. Some families say that getting out especially at night has become an adventure with undesirable consequences even for the residents of the capital Damascus. Thus, kidnappings in Syria have become an alarming issue feared by everyone, without exception. Kidnappers vary between rebels that fight against the Syrian government, the Salafi groups or random gangs that have nothing to do with fighting against the state or any other agenda rather than taking advantage of the chaotic situation in order to make some money. Some kidnappers seek revenge from army personnel and members of the minority Alawitte, an offshoot of Shiite Islam to whom President Bashar al-Assad and the ruling elite belong. The sectarian kidnapping is seen as the most dangerous case as the destiny of the abducted in the case would mostly be death. Other kidnappers want to pressure the release of another abducted person, and this is widespread at areas inhabited by pro and anti- government people. On Thursday, Syrian archbishop Fadi Hadad Rai was found killed after he was kidnapped by armed groups last week from Jdaidet Artous area on the outskirts of Damascus. Syria's state-media said the archbishop's body was found tossed on the highway between Damascus and Qunaitira province, adding that the body appeared to had been severely beaten with a gunshot hole in the forehead. It said the archbishop was kidnapped a week ago when he was mediating the release of another abducted person, who was snatched by armed groups at the Damascus' suburb of Harasta. The kidnappers seem to have turned against the archbishop and kidnapped him for no clear reason yet. In Damascus, the high-class businessmen have started to hide their expensive cars in garages and buy instead cheap ones in order to keep low profile after many people with expensive cars have been targeted by kidnappers and gangs. "I hid my car in the garage and got this cheap Korean one instead ... sure it's not the same but, you know, it's better than risking my own safety or losing my SUV," a 56-year-old businessman said. Not only those with expensive cars are afraid to go out in the evening, ordinary people are also reluctant to walk out during the night out of fears of being kidnapped. "Now when I walk in dark allies, I turn around every couple of minutes to make sure no one is following me," a 25-year-old girl said on condition not to be named. "Up to this moment, I can't believe this is happening here," she said, recounting "how we used to live in security ... when we used to see such things only in action movies."