Valle del Cauca has seen 20 kidnappings this year, 9 more than the same period last year.
According to a report by the National Fund for the Defence of Individual Freedom, Fondelibertad Valle de Cauca is third in the Country, following Arauca and Antioqua with 28 and 22 cases respectively
The Fondelibertad report further stated that 80% of the cases were committed by common criminals and the remaining by the FARC and criminal gangs.
The increase in kidnapping is caused by demobilized FARC members and paramilitary working together with local criminals, believe investigators from the Police of the Unified Action Group for Personal Liberty in Cali.
An investigator stated that the criminals “have an agreement with the FARC, since common crime doesn’t have the expertise to kidnap, they work together with the guerrillas who collect the ransom.”
The investigators stated that the abductors present themselves as customers who want to buy an item that the victim is selling, the abductors then kidnap the victim at gunpoint.
There were 201 cases of kidnappings between January and September of 2010, an increase of 53 cases compared to the same period in 2009. Among those abducted this year is Japanese businessman Masao Tsutsui.