2. What is kidnapping?
The crime of unlawfully seizing and carrying away a
person by force or Fraud, or seizing and detaining a
person against his or her will with an intent to carry
that person away at a later time. In criminal
law, kidnapping is the taking away
or transportation of a person against that person's
will, usually to hold the person in false
imprisonment, a confinement without legal
authority. This may be done for ransom or in
furtherance of another crime, or in connection with
a child custody dispute. When it is done with legal
5. Naga Vaishnavi (January 21, 2000 – February 2,
2010) was the daughter of Palagani Prabhakara
Rao, a noted businessman in Andhra Pradesh,
and his second wife Narmada. Vaishnavi was
kidnapped on January 30, 2010, and murdered
by her kidnappers on February 2 of that same
year. That incident caused tremendous shock
for her father, resulting in cardiac arrest and
death. She was also previously kidnapped in
2005. Her murder caused widespread outrage
throughout Andhra Pradesh.
She had an older brother named Sai Tejesh
who escaped from the truck when Vaishnavi
was kidnapped.
6. The trial in the sensational case took a curious turn, with the main
accused Srinivas Rao turning hostile on his earlier confession and
accusing the victim's own mother of masterminding the crime.
Srinivas Rao shouted that he was innocent, in front of the media person
present at the court where he was brought for a hearing.
The main accused alleged that Pedana MLA Jogi Ramesh and his police
officer brother-in-law Swamy were the 2 accomplices in the heinous
crime.
The Naga Vaishnavi murder case shook the state on January 30, when the
girl was reported dead two days after she was kidnapped. Her car driver
was killed at the time of her kidnapping. She was killed, and her body was
thrown into a furnace by the killers. The news of her death led to the
death of her father Palagani Prabhakara Rao.
So far, the murders of Naga Vaishnavi and her car driver were believed to
have been carried out by Venkat Rao Goud, brother-in-law of Naga
Vaishnavi's father. Venkat Rao Goud is the brother of Prabhakar Rao's
first wife. Srinivas Rao is Venkat Rao's relative.
Meanwhile, the judge postponed further hearing in the case to July 21.
Srinivasa Rao is believed to have submitted his accusations before the
judge in writing.
7. STRANGER DANGER ESCAPE
LESSONS
• If a stranger in a car wants you to come closer, run as fast as you
can in the opposite direction while screaming "Help! Police!"
• Thrash, fight, bite, and scream, "Help! Police!" repeatedly, shed a
jacket or backpack that is grabbed, drop any excess baggage slowing
you down and escape to a populated area. YELL! RUN! TELL! The
kidnapper fears a public spectacle and may simply flee alone. Also,
witnesses may intervene, or at least identify the kidnapper and/or
vehicle.
• If there’s a gun, ignore it and run! A gun is used to scare – rarely if
ever to shoot a child. (Besides, if he's willing to quickly kill a child on
the spot, he'll slowly do worse harm at leisure before killing the child
later at a secluded, secondary crime scene anyway.)
• Activate their personal security alarm (noisemaker).
• Run in circles around an object such as a parked car.
• Get under a car (belly up) and hold onto the underside so he can’t
drag them out. If he crawls under there after them, get out on the other
side.
• Pull a fire alarm.
8. IF THE CHILD IS ALREADY IN THE
KIDNAPPER'S CAR CAUTION:
These escape maneuvers, if not carefully taught, may injure the child or others. The parents
must assume all responsibility and decide if the benefit outweighs the risk. Practice these
maneuvers in a parked vehicle with the motor turned off.
The main idea is to stop the kidnapper – the sooner the better – from driving the child to a
secluded location. The child must disrupt the kidnapper’s ability to drive and/or cause the
car to crash while it’s moving at a slow speed. This will attract the attention of other people
and give the child a chance to flee. Do one or more of the following:
• Immediately, before he even begins to drive her away, she can thrust herself between the
driver and steering wheel – hanging onto the steering wheel with all her might while blaring
the horn. Do this as soon as possible– or whenever she gets the chance.
• Grab the ignition key to turn off the engine – causing the car to suddenly slow and the
steering to freeze.
• Grab the steering wheel while he’s in mid-turn.
• Brace her back against the door and attack the kidnapper with the powerful Defensive
Ground Kicks taught in Fighting Strategies. He won’t be able to drive while absorbing a
rapid-fire barrage of such kicks.
• Jump out the door whenever the car is not moving.
• Scream “Help! Police!” whenever a window or door is opened.
• If she’s a back seat passenger, she may still be able to attack the driver by attacking his eyes
or throat from behind at a critical time. At a very slow speed, cause the car to crash!
9. PERSONAL SAFETY DEVICES & RESOURCES
GPS Child Locator: a child tracking device. A variety of models
are available. I highly recommend these if used with the utmost
parental discretion.
• Personal Security Alarm: (noisemaker or screamer). Most
attackers won’t chase a noisy target.
• The RadKids.org superbly covers child self-defense (from
bullies, molesters, kidnappers) as well as all-around child safety
tips (for fires, traffic, getting lost, etc.) for ages 5-12. The
instruction level increases for each age group. And it’s a terrific
bargain: pay the low fee once (which barely covers overhead
costs) and your child can return again and again for free at any
RadKids location nationwide.
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(NCMEC) Missing Kids. Their 24-hour hotline is 800-THE-
LOST ( 800-843-5678).
