KATHMANDU: Kidnappers have been using vulnerable young girls to trap their targets, says a high-ranking officer at the Metropolitan Police Range. To alert gullible people against the tactics being used by the kidnappers, MPR today came up with a strategy and hopes to soon send the plan to the Nepal Police Headquarters for its nod.

"We studied five recent cases of kidnapping, in which victims were easily trapped after young girls lured them to a meeting place," said Superintendent of Police Sher Bahadur Basnet.

"Dhodum Lama was kidnapped on May 20 after a college girl, who was hand-in-gloves with the kidnappers, talked to him over phone for a few days and called him for a date. Raju Dhital was kidnapped on November 24 in a similar manner. In both the cases kidnappers used girls who were studying in Plus Two," said Basnet.

"The kidnappers hire young good-looking girls in early 20s, who come to Kathmandu to study from nearby districts and are often short of cash. They offer them huge sums of money to trap wealthy targets. They somehow get the cell phone number of the targets and assign a girl to lure one of them. She starts talking to him at nights for hours and hours and befriends him before calling him for date at a place chosen by the kidnappers. But when the victim comes the girl doesn't show up.

The kidnappers watch the victim from some distance, observe his behaviour, temperament and patience," says Basnet. He adds, "The girl then calls him back and says she got busy and will meet him next time. The kidnappers then chalk out a plan to net their target."

"We have to stop this and want the people to stay alert. We'll strengthen the Anti-Kidnapping Cell in the MPR to curb such incidents," says Basnet.