Neutrosophic method to determine the prevalence and relation of extortion and its negative impact on comer-chants in Babahoyo 2024

Abstract

The Ecuadorian nation has gone from having 40 homicides a day to 12, which translates into a decrease of approximately 60%, but on the other hand, extortions and kidnappings have increased considerably. The payment of extortions has doubled, and in all of 2023 there were 138 kidnappings, and only in January and March 2024 there were already 38; Most of these criminal acts occurred in Guayaquil, which is currently considered, according to statistics, the most violent city in Ecuador. The reduction in the homicide rate was evidently due to the measures taken by the government through Executive Decrees No. 110 of January 8, 2024 and No. 111 of January 9, 2024, declaring a state of emergency throughout the territory national due to serious internal commotion and due to the existence of internal armed conflict, in accordance with article 164 of the Constitution of the Republic. The measure adopted by the government has not prevented extortionists and kidnappers from increasing their criminal actions, to the point that complaints for these crimes have increased fivefold, especially in the city of Guayaquil during the first quarter of 2024; and, throughout Ecuador, the figure amounts to 1,543 cases of violence. This panorama that Ecuadorian society is experiencing is worrying because crime does not let up, despite the work of the police with the support of the military. The objective of this research is to develop a neutrosophic method using expert criteria to determine the prevalence and relationship of extortion and its negative impact on merchants in the Babahoyo canton 2024.