Thursday, December 18, 2008

GANGSTERISM, ABDUCTION AND EXTORTION

These three words are what I watch on TV or what I read in the newspaper, until that night....

I was watching Desperate Housewife when my sister called from Melaka. She asked me to help her son, who is studying in an IPTA nearby. He was in trouble but she didn't know what sort of trouble. He needed 1.8k before midnight.

Ofcourse I'd help, but I didn't have that much money. I've just been paying quite a lot of bills and there's not much left.

A few minutes later she called again saying that she's not able to deposit the said amount because the deposit machine was not in service. She sounded worried, so I didn't ask why she didn't get her husband or daughter to deposit the money for her son. (Later on I learned that my brother-in-law was out of town and my niece was down with a fever)

So, I asked my husband for help. This is where I believe in fate. My husband is not always at home at that hour. But that night he was and he had the money needed!

My husband and I drove to where my nephew was being held, near to where he used to reside. I had to call my niece for directions. She was asleep then. But on knowing that I was sending the money to her brother she became wide awake.

When my husband and I arrived at the place I called my nephew (not his number, but his abductor's) to know where he was. He was allowed to walk out of the apartment to meet us. He told us briefly what was going on. I couldn't really follow his explanations.

He called his friends to say that it's alright to bring his car. Then he went in to give the money to his abductors.

Soon after his elder brother arrived from KL with two friends in his mother's car. Since everything is settled, all of us drove to a Mamak Restaurant nearby for teh tarik. Then, it was already 3 in the morning!

What happened earlier that day was that my nephew was driving to a restaurant with a few friends when two cars blocked him off. Before going with the abductors, he gave his mobile phone to one of his friends and asked him to drive the car and wait for his call.

My nephew was taken to an apartment. A 'parang' was held at his neck and he was asked to get 1.8k before midnight. So, he called his mother who was in Melaka with her friends.

Upon knowing her son was in danger, my sister and her friends spent the night reading the Quran and praying.

The prayer of a mother was answered. According to my nephew, his abductors suddenly removed the 'parang' from his neck and he was allowed to walk around, even outside the apartment!

Why didn't he run? Why not go to the police? Why didn't my husband and I not made a police report? Why didn't we just take my nephew home without paying the money? We could have but we didn't.

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as go to the police and the bad guys are caught. For now, the group's activities are being monitored and hopefully they can eventually be stopped.

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