The case took a serious turn when the boy’s brother, mother, father and maternal uncle began receiving WhatsApp messages demanding Rs 5 lakh as ransom (AI Image)
LUCKNOW: Para police have cracked a case involving the alleged kidnapping and ransom demand of a 17-year-old boy within 48 hours, recovering him safely after discovering that he had allegedly staged his own abduction to extort Rs 5 lakh from his family to fund outings with his girlfriend and meet debts incurred through online gaming. The teenager went missing on October 20, following which his family searched for him extensively. When they failed to trace him, a missing-person report was lodged at Para police station on October 22.
The family subsequently informed the police, who launched an investigation with the assistance of the surveillance cell.
Deputy commissioner of police (West) Jitendra Kumar Srivastava said the teenager, a resident of the Para police station area, had been living in a rented accommodation and preparing for the NEET examination at a private coaching institute in Alambagh. He reportedly told police that he wanted money to spend time with his girlfriend but was not receiving the funds he sought from his relatives. During questioning, the teenager allegedly confessed that he had not been kidnapped and had fabricated the entire story to obtain money from his family.
He had earlier stayed with his uncle.
In another disturbing message, the family was told to search for his body in the forests of Chennai, triggering panic among his relatives. The messages threatened to kill the teenager if the money was not paid. Following repeated problems, the uncle refused to let him continue living at his house. The family subsequently arranged a rented room for him elsewhere. However, the teenager allegedly continued playing online games and accumulated further debts.