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.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 had earlier stayed with his uncle.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 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.The messages threatened to kill the teenager if the money was not paid. In another disturbing message, the family was told to search for his body in the forests of Chennai, triggering panic among his relatives.The family subsequently informed the police, who launched an investigation with the assistance of the surveillance cell. The team traced the teenager’s location using digital leads, including an online payment made to him, and recovered him safely.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 reportedly told police that he wanted money to spend time with his girlfriend but was not receiving the funds he sought from his relatives.According to DCP Srivastava, the teenager had developed substantial debts through online gaming. His uncle had paid some of the money owed by him on earlier occasions and had also complained to the boy’s father about his gaming habits.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.Police said he switched off his mobile phone and, two days later, connected to another person’s hotspot to send ransom messages to his brother, parents, maternal uncle and paternal uncle. He also allegedly made WhatsApp calls to reinforce the impression that he had been abducted.In a separate message to his paternal aunt’s daughter, the teenager claimed that he did not know where he had ended up and had no money even to buy food, asking her to rescue him. She transferred Rs 2,000 to a barcode he provided. The online transaction helped the surveillance team trace his location.The teenager was eventually found staying with his girlfriend at another location.Police have initiated legal action against him for allegedly misleading authorities and spreading false information.
