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tiger kidnapping

tiger kidnapping
 n.— «Police intelligence reports and underworld crime gangs share the same use of terminology—a tiger kidnapping is what they both call a crime where a hostage is held to force the victim to take part in a robbery.…The origins of the tiger kidnapping spread back well over two decades. The term was first used in London for a particular type of crime against illegal immigrants, usually from the Middle East. When these immigrants reached London they were kidnapped by armed gangs who told their families back home that their relatives would be killed unless large ransoms were paid.» —“Anatomy of a bank robbery” by Jonathan McCambridge Belfast Telegraph (Northern Ireland) Jan. 12, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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