(in the center-right), the first
President of the Republic of Finland, and his wife at the
Helsinki Central Station after
their kidnapping. Their daughter Elli Ståhlberg stands in the center, behind them. Kidnapping can occur for a variety of reasons, with motivations for the crime varying particularly based on the perpetrator.
Ransom The kidnapping of a person, most often an adult, for ransom is a common motivation behind kidnapping. This method is primarily utilized by larger organizations, such as criminal gangs, terrorist organizations, or insurgent groups. Typically this is done for financial incentive, with sums of money varying depending on the victim or the method of kidnapping.
Mexican gangs are estimated to have made up to $250 million in kidnappings from
Central American migrants. According to a 2022 study by political scientist Danielle Gilbert, armed groups in Colombia engage in ransom kidnappings as a way to maintain the armed groups' local systems of taxation. The groups resort to ransom kidnappings to punish
tax evasion and incentivize inhabitants not to shirk.
Express kidnapping is a method of abduction used in some countries, mainly from
Latin America, where a small ransom, that a company or family can easily pay, is demanded. Express kidnapping is also used for an immediate ransom in which the victim is taken to an ATM and forced to give the captor money.
Tiger kidnapping occurs when a person is kidnapped, and the captor forces them to commit a crime such as robbery or murder. The victim is held
hostage until the captor's demands are met. The term originates from the usually long preceding observation, like a tiger does when stalking prey. This is a method which has been used by the
Real Irish Republican Army and the
Continuity Irish Republican Army.
Virtual kidnapping is a unique form of kidnapping that has risen in recent years. Unlike previous forms of kidnapping, virtual kidnapping does not actually involve a victim of any kind. The scam involves a process of calling numerous people on the phone and making them believe the caller has a victim's loved one, such as a child, in order to gain a quick ransom from the victim. Previously these calls used to affect Spanish speaking communities in large cities, such as
Los Angeles or
Houston. Until around 2015 when the calls started to be directed to English speakers as well. Around 80 victims were identified as falling for this scam, with losses ranging close to $100,000. While most perpetrators behind this scam can be linked back to Mexico, one instance occurred in Houston, Texas. Yanette Rodriguez Acosta was found guilty of accosting victims for large sums of money, which she would pick up at a set drop off of point. She was sentenced to seven years in prison, with an additional three years of supervision following her release. In the past, and presently in some parts of the world (such as southern
Sudan), kidnapping is a common means used to obtain
slaves and money through ransom. In the 19th century, kidnapping in the form of
shanghaiing (or "
pressganging") men supplied merchant ships with
sailors, whom the law considered
unfree labour.
Pirates Kidnapping on the high seas in connection with
piracy has been increasing. It was reported that 661 crewmembers were taken hostage and 12 kidnapped in the first nine months of 2009. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre recorded that 141 crew members were taken hostage and 83 were kidnapped in 2018.
Other Other motivations behind kidnapping include the kidnap of a person for
sexual assault purposes, or situations of domestic violence. For example, the
2003 Domestic Violence Report in Colorado shows in most instances of domestic violence people, most typically white females, will be taken from their residence by a present or former spouse or significant other. Often they will be taken by force, not with a weapon, and victims will be freed without injury to their person.
Bride kidnapping is a term often applied loosely, to include any bride "abducted" against the will of her parents, even if she is willing to marry the "abductor". It still is traditional amongst certain
nomadic peoples of
Central Asia. It has seen a resurgence in
Kyrgyzstan since the fall of the
Soviet Union and the subsequent erosion of women's rights. Kidnapping has sometimes been used by the family and friends of a
cult member as a method to remove them from the cult and begin a
deprogramming process to change their allegiance away from the group. Motivations for kidnapping cannot always be easily defined. During the 1990s and afterward, for example, the
New York divorce coercion gang was involved in a sting of kidnappings. They would take Jewish husbands from their homes in New York and New Jersey and torture them in order for them to grant
gittin, or religious divorces, to their wives. The gang is notorious for crimes of this nature. They were later apprehended for their crimes on 9 October 2013, in connection with a foiled kidnapping plot. ==By jurisdiction==