In the movie Fargo, the father-in-law decides at the last moment to deliver the ransom money himself instead of trusting it to his dufus son-in-law (who was actually in on the plot.) At the ransom drop he declares to the kidnapper that he would not hand the money over until his captive daughter is actually returned. Problem is, she is not actually present. Hilarity ensues and people end up dead.
This got me to thinking: In a real world kidnapping for ransom, what exactly are the logistics of exchanging money and releasing the captive? It seems far-fetched to expect someone to just drop off a large wad of cash to someone totally unseen on just their word that the captive would be let go. OTOH, it would seem to be enormously risky for the kidnappers to actually have the captive physically present at the drop off. So how is it actually done? J assume that the movie isn’t a very good example not only because it is a work of fiction, but also because everyone involved in the crime is more or less portrayed as a F***-up.
From recreations I’ve seen on various crime shows, it’s generally a dead drop of some sort, and someone comes along later and grabs the money. One I recall was the moneybag was placed in a dumpster, and the police were watching to see who picked it up so they could tail them. No one showed. When they went to the dumpster to get the money back, they found a hole in the back. The kidnappers had cut a hole in the dumpster and the wall so they could claim the money unobserved.
It’s like a game of chicken; who backs down first? And in most kidnapping situations, it’ll be the victim because they have more to lose. They have a loved one at risk if the exchange falls apart. The kidnappers only have the payoff at risk if the exchange falls apart. So the kidnappers get to set the terms of the exchange.
This is a total colloquialism, but I seem to remember reading (after the film *Ransom *came out) that in the real world, statistically, when kidnappers do get paid they are just as likely to kill the hostage as they are to release them. More so I think as, in terms of getting caught, they have almost no incentive to release them and every incentive to kill an obvious witness. The prison sentences for murder aren’t much harsher than for kidnapping (w/o the death penalty anyway…)
That applies when either the kidnappers are fairly anonymous or they firmly believe that it is a one time act and they plan to retire on their ill-gotten gains. If the kidnappers are not anonymous (for instance, they are some nefarious organization) and plan to make a hobby of kidnapping people then there is strong incentive to keep up their side of the bargain. If people know that they make a practice of slaughtering their victims whether or not ransom is paid then it will be much harder to get “paid”.
For what? For a little bit of money. There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’tcha know that? And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day. Well. I just don’t understand it.
In Somalia, the kidnappers, and pirates (who hold whole ships hostage),
expect payment first, and then they release the hostages (and ship).
Should some smart arse collect the money and NOT release the hostage/ship, then no Somali pirate would ever get paid the ransom ever again. So they always let go of the hostages when they are paid as agreed.
Somalia is a bit different as they don’t care about being identified, and they can always launder the US notes … its too hard to force some poor people/contry nearby to give up the dirty money…
Generally, the victim was never brought to the exchange. The money was received via deap drop and then the victim was either blindfolded and released in remote location or a phone call telling the victim’s location was offered. In the two most famous cases, Frank Sinatra Jr. was released on an overpass, and Lindbergh was promised a phone call.
Indeed, one could see an advantage to being identified, for the pirates. If you establish a reputation for treating your captives humanely and releasing them upon payment, future captives are less likely to resist.
“Well, Ben Rogers, if I was as ignorant as you I wouldn’t let on. Kill the women? No- nobody ever saw anything in the books like that. You fetch them to the cave, and you’re always as polite as pie to them; and by-and-by they fall in love with you and never want to go home any more.”