Madagascar kidnap ring broken

By Richard Hamilton
BBC, Antananarivo

Police in Madagascar have arrested three people suspected of involvement in a child kidnapping ring that has been operating in the country.

Many shops in Madagascar are owned by Karanas

Six children have been kidnapped and two people have been murdered in related incidents over the last few months.

The victims have been from the Karana community, of Indo-Pakistani origin.

Investigations by a special crime squad in the capital and the port of Tamatave have led to the arrest of three alleged kidnappers.

In most cases the kidnapped children were eventually released after the payment of a ransom - often in the regions of thousands of dollars - but in one particular instance two children managed to escape.

In another incident, the father of one of the children was killed while trying to intervene.

Vulnerable

The arrests have been welcomed by the Karana community, although they have said that those who have been masterminding the operation may still be at large.

There are about 15,000 Karana people in Madagascar and they are well known for their success in business.

They own many of the shops in the country's major towns.

This has however made them a vulnerable target for ransom demands.

These kidnappings are not the first in the country - there were waves of similar crimes in 1997 and in 2000.

Murky business

A number of accusations and counter-accusations have emerged over these incidents.

The chief of police suggested that all may not be as it seems, as these abductions may have been staged.

For their part, the Karana have said that the police have not always acted to stop the crimes and there may even be some level of complicity and corruption amongst the authorities.

The Karana community believe the kidnappings are an attempt to intimidate them and warn that it might deter others who bring much needed trade and investment to the country.

Both sides deny the other's allegations.