Report: Robbery, Kidnap-for-Ransom on the Rise in Baalbek
The Bekaa town of Baalbek has witnessed a series of kidnappings for ransom and car robbery over the past year, mainly on the Riyaq-Baallbek and Baalbek-Homs highways, targeting Lebanese nationals and foreigners as well, An Nahar newspaper reported on Saturday
Kidnappings have been recorded on an almost daily basis in the said area and the perpetrators are said to be gangs roving the highways waiting for their next hunt.
In mid February, unknown assailants tried to rob a taxi driver on the al-Teebeh crossroad, they shot at his vehicle when he tried to flee their grip. He was slightly wounded and the assailants went empty handed.
Two young men were also victims to similar acts last Thursday when armed men tried to rob their car on the Labweh highway.
On the same day, two Omani nationals were kidnapped for ransom while they were on their way from the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut to the al-Kayyal area in Baablbek. Five gunmen intercepted their way, took them to western Baalbek but released them afterwards for unknown reasons. Although the assailants are outlaws and wanted, the security forces were unable to arrest them.
The newspaper said that most of the stolen cars are used to execute different crimes or are sold to specialized groups that use them later for similar criminal acts.
The series of assaults threaten Baalbek's security and reflect on its economic and social position, which compelled its municipality to install surveillance cameras in the market and deploy police patrols around the clock.
Despite the precautions taken, the risk remains high on the public roads and by-streets of the area, which is the responsibility of the security forces in charge of maintaining safety.
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