A number of Jawzjan residents on Friday said they are concerned about an increase in kidnappings in the provincial capital Sheberghan City over the past six months.

“Kidnapping cases have increased. Law is not implemented; it is only implemented on the middle class,” said Hamidullah, a resident of Sheberghan city.

Another resident of the city, Mohammad Nasim, said: “Son of one of our neighbors was abducted. He was under custody for 20 days. People are concerned about their safety.”

Meanwhile, Abdul Salam, a small business owner in Sheberghan, said his seven-year-old son was kidnapped two months ago and he paid $40,000 USD to release him.

A number of Jawzjan civil society activists meanwhile criticized government for inattention towards the issue.

“There are illegal guns, illegal armed men and tented glass vehicles in the city. This reveals security agencies’ weakness in overcoming the problem,” said Abdul Qadir Folad, a civil society activist in the province.

Jawzjan police meanwhile said three kidnapping cases were reported last year and they continue to chase and arrest kidnapping groups.

“We had three abduction cases last year, but due to efforts of security forces and cooperation of the people, we managed to ensure safe release of kidnapped individuals,” said Colonel Abdul Hafeez Khashi, security chief at Jawzjan Police Headquarters.

He added: “Unfortunately, kidnapping groups have not been recognized so far, but I assure you that we continue our efforts to arrest them and send them to the court.”