...One person in our neighbourhood, whose brother was abducted, was asked for $5000 by some contented gang. He told them to go to hell since he could afford a funeral and consolation banquet for his brother at a much lower sum. The gang meekly halved the ransom and almost begged for it, so he agreed after much pressure from his brother's wife and children. This approach works in most cases with amateur gangs, but you have to be careful because if you were dealing with professionals, your kidnapped relative might be returned to you in a body bag.

Another family in our neighbourhood took a much more aggressive stand. When contacted by the gang they informed them that they knew who they were, and that if their son was not returned to them by the next day without one hair touched on his body, the gang, their whole families, and their clan members would be mercilessly slaughtered. The gang hung up the phone. After a couple of hours they called again and said they would return the fellow and apologised for the inconvenience. The family told them that they were greatly offended by this behaviour, since they belonged to the powerful Sunni Azza tribe, and that the gang would better pay them for this disrespect an amount of $10,000. A little bargaining followed, and the son returned the next day with $5000 in his pocket...