Abduction warning to China's rich

The Chinese government has warned its wealthy citizens about the danger of being kidnapped for ransom.

The Ministry for Public Security said nearly 4,000 people had been kidnapped in the country in the past year.

The numbers are similar to 2003. But the ministry warns that the newly rich are particularly at risk of being abducted for ransom.

In a report it says kidnappings have often occurred in China's more developed coastal regions.

It adds that entrepreneurs, celebrities and students from rich families are the most likely targets.

China's economic and social reforms have created a wealthy new middle-class.

But at the same time crime rates have gone up, a result of growing unemployment and new policies which have enabled people to move around the country freely, making it easier to evade the authorities.

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