In a rather unusual incident, a 20-year-old young boy faked his own kidnapping to get Rs 30,000 from his father in order to get his motorbike repaired.
According to Indian media, 20-year-old boy Ankit in Mumbai’s Vasai sent a WhatsApp message to his father asking him to pay 30,000 as ransom to the kidnappers by scanning a QR code.
However, the boy was unaware that his dad had already approached the police. Four teams from Valiv police station tracked down the youth within two hours.
On Friday, the man’s father, Nanelal Yadav, filed a missing person’s report after his 20-year-old son Ankit had not returned to their home. Ankit’s cellphone was also not reachable.
The next day on Saturday morning, Ankit called his uncle on his cellphone and informed him about “being kidnapped” by three men.
He then sent a WhatsApp message to his father asking him to make an online payment of Rs 30,000 to the kidnappers by scanning a QR code.
However, upon receiving the text, the father approached the police again. He told the police that Ankit was threatened if the money was unpaid.
“There seemed no reason for the son to leave home without informing his parents. So, we initially thought that it was a genuine case of abduction,” said assistant inspector Sachin Sanap.
The police said he wanted to repair his motorbike and needed Rs 30,000. Ankit presumed that his father would not give him cash to get the bike repaired.
The four police teams spread out across Vasai, Nalasopara and Virar. It was discovered that the QR scanner shared by Ankit belonged to a shopkeeper in Vasai phata. Police questioned the shopkeeper. Later, Ankit’s call records were scanned and he was tracked down to Vasai phata within two hours.
The police said that they counselled him and allowed him to go.
