A thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, and one who has mastered the art of strategic and tactical thinking to the core. He has been using this combination to seed new ideas and to lead them to their implementation on-ground. This has been a consistent feature of his career. He has rich experience of approximately 35 years in corporate in diverse domains & from functional managerial level to apex as the chairman of a corporate group. His acumen for handling crisis management has prompted him to share his exclusive and niche experiences. He is discussing the topic in three distinct parts in separate articles; Part 1 – Hostage situation & Role of the Corporate Security; Part 2 – Negotiation Skills; and finally Part 3 – How to survive an abduction or hostage situation. He will take you through realistically at ground zero in visualization and response matrix through series of these three articles. His third article in the series dwells on the survival techniques in an abduction or hostage situation. This will be the closing article in the series. It’s really scary to think about being abducted or taken hostage, but knowing how you should handle the situation can help you feel calm and focused if it does happen. While the best thing you can do is to avoid an attack in the first place, if someone attempts to kidnap you, try to get away before they can incapacitate you. If you are taken into captivity, comply with your kidnappers and observe your surroundings until you can escape or be rescued. Fighting off an Attack Run away from someone who tries to take you if you can. If you’re ever in a situation where someone tries to abduct you, do anything you can to avoid going with them. Try to pull away from them, then run as fast as you can in the direction of the nearest people or building that you can see. Especially avoid getting into a vehicle, since it will be much harder for authorities to find you if your attacker drives you a long distance. If you’re taken hostage, the situation may unfold very quickly, and you might not have the opportunity to run. Yell to draw attention to the situation. If someone makes an attempt to kidnap you, start shouting right away, especially if you know there are people nearby. Even if the attackers manage to subdue you, keep yelling to try to get someone’s attention. If someone hears a shout and they see what’s happening, they may be able to help you before you’re taken away. Try yelling something like, ‘Help!’ or ‘Call the police!’ As a suggestion, yelling, ‘FIRE!!’ is your best bet. People are more likely to respond to fire, and this can summon help faster. At the very least, an onlooker can contact the authorities and let them know that an abduction has taken place. They may also provide critical details like the kidnapper’s physical appearance or the type of vehicle they’re driving. They may really try to get the license plate to see if the car was stolen or to see if it is really their car. Fight your attacker as hard as you can. It is really hard not to panic, but if you can stay calm and focused on survival, you may be able to fight off an attack if someone grabs you. Fight in any way you’re able, whether that’s hitting, kicking, biting, or scratching. As you do that, try to target your kidnapper’s eyes, nose, throat, or groin, as these are especially sensitive targets. As long as there’s still a chance you could break free and run, it’s worth fighting for. This is your best chance to escape, because the moment it is hectic, and there’s a chance someone will see what’s happening and intervene. Look for objects in your environment to use as weapons. As you’re fighting off your attacker, try to gather yourself enough to scan around you. Look for anything that’s close enough to grab that might give you an edge in the fight. If there’s nothing that you can use as an offensive weapon, check for anything you can use as a barrier between you and your attacker, like a chair or a table. For instance, even if your attacker knocks you down, you might spot a loose chunk of sidewalk that you can grab to hit them with. In your home, you might be able to grab a heavy vase or lamp, a fireplace poker, or even a large book. Dealing with Being Captured Follow your captors’ instructions once you are in captivity. If at any point it becomes clear that your captors have gained the upper hand, stop resisting right away and comply with any orders they give you. You’re more likely to be hurt or killed if you continue fighting after you’re overpowered such as if you’re being held by multiple people, put in restraints, or placed in a vehicle or other confined space. Once you’re abducted or taken hostage, it’s best to take a measured approach to escaping, rather than an impulsive one, so start evaluating the surroundings rather than fighting to get away. If you’re put into a vehicle while you’re conscious, try to pay attention to as much about the trip as you can, like how long the car travels without stopping, the direction of any turns, or any sounds you notice on the road. If you’re in the trunk of a car, look for a glow-in-thedark handle that you can pull to release yourself from the trunk. If this release cord isn’t present, try to kick out the tail lights and wave your hands to alert other motorists that you’re trapped inside. Stay calm and focused on survival. It might be really hard, but once you’re taken captive, try to dig deep within yourself to find your composure. Try to…
