Ranchi, Oct. 16: The Dragon Mobile will be on the prowl to protect morning-walkers from being taken hostage like jeweller Paresh Mukherji, who returned home yesterday after 14 days in captivity.

Police sources said the Dragon Mobile, an almost-defunct patrol squad on motorcycles, would be revived and strengthened to ensure that people out on a stroll in the morning do not fall prey to criminals.

Though the details have not been worked out as yet, police officials said the upgradation of the system was on top of the priority list. Places like Ashoknagar, Harmu Housing Colony, Morabadi and Kanke Road would be given special attention.

The Dragon Mobile service was started in August. The squad is made up of 20 motorcycles, each carrying a sub-inspector and a constable, who would be on the lookout for trouble-makers and other men acting in a suspicious manner.

The decision to have a special protection team was taken after retired accountant-general Laxmi Narayan Prasad was kidnapped on July 2 when he was out on his regular morning walk in Kadru at 5 am. Prasad was recovered from Hazaribagh where he spent 13 days in captivity.

Mukherji, the owner of Tirupati Jewellers, was abducted during his usual morning walk from Lalpur. He was released yesterday.

Ranchi senior superintendent of police Anil Palta does not believe it was the same gang which were at work, but he did accept that there was a threat to morning-walkers. ?Though the modus operandi is the same, it?s not a common gang that was involved. But then the fact remains that the criminals have now found an easy way to pick up people. The last two incidents show that morning-walkers are at risk,? he said.

The police say morning is the ?best time? for abductors waiting for their prey as the roads are relatively free of people and traffic. ?They cannot get a better time than this. Harmu, Ashoknagar, Morabadi, North and South Office Para, Shyamali and Kanke Road are hubs of well-to-do people like executives, traders and businessmen.?

?A lot of health-conscious people wake up early for physical exercise. For the kidnappers, this time is the best as there are no policemen around. Moreover, they can also get out of the city quickly as the roads are almost empty,? said another official.

Palta admitted that Dragon Mobile was not working the way it should be. ?It is a fact that the system is not working properly. But there are reasons for this. Ranchi is a big city and just 20 motorcycles with 40 men on them will not do any good. We need to organise the entire set-up,? he said.

Police officials said while they would do everything possible to check abductions, those out on a walk should also be careful. ?The Dragon Mobile will be upgraded. But then morning-walkers also need to be a little careful,? said an official.