Kidnappings in Third World countries

Did anybody watch that show last week that re-enacted two kidnappings: one of a father, son and his girlfriend in Peru, the other of two English girls in India? In relation to the father & son kidnapping, how horrifying! They mistakingly got into a fake cab, where the kidnapper contacted his colleagues who ambushed the car as soon as the driver got them out of the city. The girl was threatened with rape and the father and son both had guns held to their heads and were demanded to reveal their credit card pin details.

This brings me to the case of Britney Lapthorn. Did they ever find resolution to that? It wouldn't surprise me if that was a kidnapping.

It just goes to show you how lucky and relatively "safe" we are here. Don't take it for granted! It also shows you how shabby the justice system is in some parts of the world.

Anyway, just had to share. It opens your eyes to what goes on in some parts of the world and how careful you have to be when you travel.

Anybody else got some info on kidnappings?

My female cousin recently went to Croatia where some guy took a "fancy" to her and *invited* her back to his "mums" place for dinner. Thank goodness she had the fortitude to say no...

Did you watch the movie Taken ( with Liam Neeson ) ? His daughter goes on holidays overseas, on arrival at the airport, a "good" looking guy asks if they could share a cab with her and her friend. The guy, now knowing where the girls were staying, came back later with his buddies, kidnaps them and drugs them up. ( Presumably the girls would be sold at auction or for prostitution ).

That was really scary, the things that could possibly happen if a person is too trusting or ignorant.

What are your tips for people traveling overseas?

trinity said:

Did you watch the movie Taken ( with Liam Neeson ) ? His daughter goes on holidays overseas, on arrival at the airport, a "good" looking guy asks if they could share a cab with her and her friend. The guy, now knowing where the girls were staying, came back later with his buddies, kidnaps them and drugs them up. ( Presumably the girls would be sold at auction or for prostitution )


That was really scary, the things that could possibly happen if a person is too trusting or ignorant.

What are your tips for people traveling overseas?

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Whenever I travel in these climes I make sure that I have a 9mm -30 Luger pistol with me.

They can be bought at Melbourne Airport once you have been through all that silly security bizzo and a bloke picking good looking sheilas to run his wand over for tnt.

If you are in real strife a Styer is essential but it freaks out the cusoms at the other end and no amount of baksheesh will get you through.

I alaways wear shoes that ping the checkers and the deconstructed luger can be hidden in the shoe.

I have a mate with me who can throw a convincing epileptic fit, so the bunnies at security let us through


gg

trinity said:

Did you watch the movie Taken ( with Liam Neeson ) ? His daughter goes on holidays overseas, on arrival at the airport, a "good" looking guy asks if they could share a cab with her and her friend. The guy, now knowing where the girls were staying, came back later with his buddies, kidnaps them and drugs them up. ( Presumably the girls would be sold at auction or for prostitution ).

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No, but i'll get it next time i'm at the video shop (yes, i still rent DVDs...).

I haven't been overseas, but my tips would be to keep your bagged LOCKED, take a photo of it as it goes through customs (that's what i would do), and be very careful of strangers. And, i guess, stay out of the danger zones. Apparently there is a book (part of the Lonely Planet series ) you can buy that goes into safety tips etc.

Aussiest said:

No, but i'll get it next time i'm at the video shop (yes, i still rent DVDs...).

I haven't been overseas, but my tips would be to keep your bagged LOCKED, take a photo of it as it goes through customs (that's what i would do), and be very careful of strangers. And, i guess, stay out of the danger zones. Apparently there is a book (part of the Lonely Planet series ) you can buy that goes into safety tips etc.

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You are the sort of guy who will end up in some Asian hell hole.

All your advice is crap.

The best you can do is trade your coolpix for a crate of KY Jelly if you do go overseas to make your incarceration more bearable.

I really don't think you should travel further than the Gold Coast.

gg

trinity said:

Did you watch the movie Taken ( with Liam Neeson ) ? His daughter goes on holidays overseas, on arrival at the airport, a "good" looking guy asks if they could share a cab with her and her friend. The guy, now knowing where the girls were staying, came back later with his buddies, kidnaps them and drugs them up. ( Presumably the girls would be sold at auction or for prostitution ).

That was really scary, the things that could possibly happen if a person is too trusting or ignorant.

What are your tips for people traveling overseas?

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Travel tips? Got to be countless books on these but the airport situation is survival test number one for an innocent abroad in a dodgy country - got to realise that every plane arrival is like chum being tossed to sharks. Lots of simple stuff that you never think about back home...

Never, never, never talk to someone who walks up offering to help you find a taxi.
Always look for a taxi desk in the airport arrival area. Failing that look for the official taxi rank.
Always look for the biggest taxi company. No guarantee of saftey but improves the odds
Always look for tell tale signs that the taxi is legit/illegit - full taxi paint job? taxi sign permanently attached or a magnetic stick on placed on the roof two minutes earlier? taxi licence displayed? meter fitted?
If you are really cautious, check the boot to ensure there is no accomplice waiting to kick the seat in and hold a knife to your throat. Yes, it has been known to happen...
Write the taxi number before you enter.
If carrying a lot of baggage, nothing of value (especially documents) to go in the boot. Sort yourself out long before you get to the taxi rank - be discreet.
Be cautious to ensure that the taxi driver does not drive off with your belongings when you leave the taxi - bag inside the cab, or if travelling with a companion, one gets out to get the bag before the other fully steps out of the taxi.
Always have your destination address printed in local lingo in case you find youself abandoned by the road somewhere.
Be aware that in some places the taxi driver will kiddie-lock the doors - not necessarily reason to freak out - he just wants to make sure you don't do a runner.
Always check that the meter is used from the moment the taxi pulls out of the rank.
Always check that the meter ticks over at appropriate speed and is not a "quick time" meter (you should be able to notice this before you are out of the airport provided you have done your research and have a feel for the value of the local currency).
Always ensure you have adequate local currency for the fare. Do not have all your money in one wallet, one pocket. Never count/show money in view of the driver. Never look like money - your foreign accent/look is temptation enough without adding to it ...

Two more golden rules for these countries (airports, taxis, wherever)
Not everyone who smiles at you wants to be your friend...
Never, never, never trust a man with a moustache...

Garpal Gumnut said:

You are the sort of guy who will end up in some Asian hell hole.

All your advice is crap.

The best you can do is trade your coolpix for a crate of KY Jelly if you do go overseas to make your incarceration more bearable.

I really don't think you should travel further than the Gold Coast.

gg

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Thanks for your kind words Garpal. I'm not a guy. If you have anything intelligent to say, i'd be glad to hear it.

And, btw, the Gold Coast? Way too close to Townsville, i can do without the hicks.

J.B.Nimble said:

Never, never, never talk to someone who walks up offering to help you find a taxi.
Always look for a taxi desk in the airport arrival area. Failing that look for the official taxi rank.
Always look for the biggest taxi company. No guarantee of saftey but improves the odds
Always look for tell tale signs that the taxi is legit/illegit - full taxi paint job? taxi sign permanently attached or a magnetic stick on placed on the roof two minutes earlier? taxi licence displayed? meter fitted?
If you are really cautious, check the boot to ensure there is no accomplice waiting to kick the seat in and hold a knife to your throat. Yes, it has been known to happen...
Write the taxi number before you enter.

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Some good stuff there.

I'm not sure if Peru is classified as a 'Third World' country now. Maybe a 'Developing' one, but not Africa like. Except deep in the Andes. Most people live close to the major cities, where they are 'developing'. It's actually much safer in the hills where people aren't destitute, but living how they always have. Poor, but as they are happy.

I've been here for two years now, and I have known of some 'kidnappings'. One actually. An employee of my wife was picked up in a taxi with her boyfriend at about 8pm in Cuzco. He was bashed and she was forced to give up her bank details. They lost some cash.

In another instance, her Finance Manager in Lima was dropped by a taxi driver short of his destination under suspiscious circumstances and he had 2 guys jump out of a car behind him with pistols demaning everything. He gave up his cash, cards, laptop, phone.

This was 2007. Nothing like that since. In the 2 years we've been here there has been no violence against tourists in Peru, that we know of.

If you want to go somewhere to be assaulted in South America, go to Rio de Janiero, or anywhere in Venezuela - the only place I have felt afraid in the entire continent.

Aussiest said:

Thanks for your kind words Garpal. I'm not a guy. If you have anything intelligent to say, i'd be glad to hear it.

And, btw, the Gold Coast? Way too close to Townsville, i can do without the hicks.

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Sorry sister,

But you sound a bit naive to be travelling.

Try Townsville, its full of army jocks, kiwis, south africans, indigenous, bogans, twee old Queenslanders and old australian psychopaths.

It would give you good practice for yer trip.

Otherwise book in to a motel in Moonee Ponds and ask to join the Tuppence Society.

Mention me if you are in strife.

gg

kennas said:

I've been here for two years now, and I have known of some 'kidnappings'. One actually. An employee of my wife was picked up in a taxi with her boyfriend at about 8pm in Cuzco. He was bashed and she was forced to give up her bank details. They lost some cash.

In another instance, her Finance Manager in Lima was dropped by a taxi driver short of his destination under suspiscious circumstances and he had 2 guys jump out of a car behind him with pistols demaning everything. He gave up his cash, cards, laptop, phone.

...

If you want to go somewhere to be assaulted in South America, go to Rio de Janiero, or anywhere in Venezuela - the only place I have felt afraid in the entire continent.

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Interesting what you say about Peru Kennas. It looks like a wonderful place and i don't think i'd hesitate in going there if i really wanted. I've always wanted to go to South America anyway.

In relation to the kidnappings there, i am curious. Has anyone actually been killed over the sort of robberies that you mention? It's just that in the documentary i watched, it seemed that the kidnappers were more intent on robbing them rather than killing them. Perhaps killing would draw too much attention? I wonder how ruthless the kidnappers really are, or whether there is a little bit of bluff there.

After creating this thread, i actually remembered that a sister of a friend of mine had gone to Rio on business, met a guy there with whom she had an affair with. Her family back here was really concerned about her, for obvious reasons. She was even planning to go back to possibly live with him. We were like, "he's struck gold - a middle class woman from a Western society" etc etc. Anyway, i think she ended up waking up and smelling the roses, thank goodness.

SOunds to me as though you have been watching too much dramatised TV.

The odds of any of that happening would be incredibly low. If your worried about being kidnapped, then you should also be worried about your plane crashing, or you being hit by lightning

prawn_86 said:

SOunds to me as though you have been watching too much dramatised TV.

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Noo, i'm not overly worried about being kidnapped. I'm a naturally suspicious person at the best of times. However, i have been known to be quite naive at times, so i would be doubly careful. Put it this way, i just came back from Sydney and i was even cautious about having my pockets picked (i stayed in the city).

All in all, i find it an interesting topic as i haven't heard much about it until i saw that documentary / re-enactment the other night. I guess i'm interested in social and political issues of other cultures.

Edit: People are operating at different levels in different countries. Poverty can make people do strange things. I guess it is a wake-up call to realise you may not be able to negotiate your way out of everything.

No, no killings.

You could be killed if you carry around all your valuables and then fight for them, but you would be silly to do that. Very silly.

What you should do while travelling is seperate your most expensive items and have a spare of everything.

Have a photo copy of your passport, for a start.

One thing some very well travelled people do is have a scanned copy of everything back home.

At any time you (or anyone) can call to get all the details.

Also, have a card with you containing your personal details. All the time.

Easy.

kennas said:

If you want to go somewhere to be assaulted in South America, go to Rio de Janiero, or anywhere in Venezuela - the only place I have felt afraid in the entire continent.

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Oh no, the only places I want to visit still!

I never felt unsafe in a few months in Mexico, despite all the warnings by the locals I was living with. Though, I was bribed by the police and threatened with jail time should I not pay.

Guys I knew were actually beat by the police in Brazil, had shotguns held to their heads and taken out of town to a dodgy station until they paid up.

Whilst a wealthy girl I know, her brother was kidnapped in Mexico and held for ransom. Though he was not harmed and actually treated well.

I have also heard many other stories (including the guards themselves at a rich school in Mexico being kidnapped, followed by wealthy students and their personal bodyguards).

I hate these scaremongering shows. What are the chances of this happening? Has anyone ever read about the dangers of cotton wool balls? If you swallow them, you may choke.

Keep traveling.
the crane.

Here's some interesting stats from the discovery channel
http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/crime/kidnapandrescue/factsandstats/index.shtml

A good rule is to have some basic phrases in the native language of the country you are travelling to. Thimgs such as " not now, thanks", " No", "I like your smile" and " I'd like a taxi, please."

The "I like your smile" phrase can disarm touts and have them think you know a bit more of their language and culture than the average gringo.

I trust people with my gut when travelling. It has held me in good stead in India. I will never forget the first time I got out of Delhi airport on a late flight. I found the first rickshaw driver with a genuine smile and a well kept vehicle and who was clearly not well off but was proud and well presented. "tony" showed me around the region and then put me onto a driver who took me to Ragistan and Kashmir and then back to his family home.

I tend to say yes more overseas and go with the flow if the gut gives me the okay. I do howeevr stay out of local politics and arguments. I have taken video footage of a man being beaten death or close to it and seen a man beaten close to death on another occasion. My best advise in hindsite is to run! Don't take footage.


Most of all, enjoy the culture and just use common sense. Fear is a universal bait for scoundrels. Be confident and friendly. I've been tricked more in my own country than I ever have in years of travel overseas.


cheers,

i think the whole point of travelling is to see/experience new things. i see little point travelling to say the uk/usa as there culture is pritty much same as ours. maybe if you wanted to see the sites like gand canyon or buck palace.

some people go for the "experience" to say and india or thailand, then through fear/choice find themselves pretty much living the same as in oz. they chose only the 5star hotels and stay on the tourist map. the end up missing out on the culture and some of the more obscure/remote natures. why? presumably for safety. why bother going.

go where u feel comfortable, go with open mind, be easy going, dont be showy, carry small change(the equivalent of $10 is alot in many countries, think more like 50cents), be polite, use ur own radar to judge people, avoid arguments(politics/religion), live there life and they will appreciate ur effort.

have copies of passport and other documents stored safely, leave a copy in oz too if possible. if ur kidnapped for money, give it up. always do as ur told. keep in contact with family in oz or locals so if u dont return on time an alarm is raised.

my first ever international travel was alone in philippines. arriving in the middle of night in a strange crowded place and not knowing surroundings is confronting.

if possible arrive during daylight(id prefer to leave oz at 2am than arrive in a foreign place at that time, and it often is cheaper). if u know where ur staying night 1, perhaps organise hotel transfer, otherwise look for ligit and metered taxi. never try to go unmetered to save a few $$$. $1 is alot to them but nothing 2u.

for me, i like to embrace the cultures. meet some locals and chat with them, u get a feel of who is trustworthy and u might meet someone of value to u, who can show u around. i like to get away from the cities and enjoy the rural life and people.

use smart traveller website for travel warnings and maybe submit ur itinerary.

that show you watched "trouble in paradise" has been on a few weeks now. the peru incident wouldnt have happened if they paid more attention to the cab. and the girls in india chose the trike driver that stood out for being clean and friendly(good things), but the point was he stood out. go for the bike/taxi that looks like all the others.

Aussiest said:

All in all, i find it an interesting topic as i haven't heard much about it until i saw that
documentary / re-enactment the other night. I guess i'm interested in social and
political issues of other cultures.

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That wasn't a documentary...that was a tv show, and i thought those 2 girls in India were
stunningly dumb.

Aussiest said:

People are operating at different levels in different countries. Poverty can make people do
strange things. I guess it is a wake-up call to realise you may not be able to negotiate your
way out of everything.

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S*** happens all over the first, 2nd and third world....if every person in the world that
lived in poverty was a danger...then it wouldn't be safe to travel anywhere.