Pune: A 19-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh allegedly staged his own kidnapping in Pune and demanded Rs 5 lakh from his family. He also sent emotional videos of himself crying to make the abduction claim appear genuine.
However, the plan was exposed after Pune Police tracked his mobile phone and found him staying at a lodge in Khadki.
The accused has been identified as Om Prakash Gaurishankar, 19, a resident of Jalalpur village in Baberu taluka of Uttar Pradesh's Banda district. He had come to Pune but was reportedly facing financial difficulties due to a lack of regular employment.
According to police, Gaurishankar told his family and elder brother that he had been kidnapped. He allegedly sent them a video in which he appeared to be crying and claimed that Rs 5 lakh was needed for his safe release.
Believing that he had actually been abducted, his family approached the police in Uttar Pradesh. Shahjahanpur Police then contacted Pune Police and informed them about the alleged kidnapping and ransom demand.
Pune Police launched a search operation during the night of August 17. Senior police officers, inspectors, assistant commissioners and personnel from different police stations joined the operation.
Uttar Pradesh Police shared Gaurishankar's mobile number with Pune Police. Officers at Bund Garden Police Station tracked the number and found that it was active in the Khadki area.
Police teams and night patrol personnel then reached Crown Plaza Lodging in Khadki. They expected to find the alleged kidnappers there.
Instead, police found Gaurishankar himself at the lodge.
During questioning, he allegedly admitted that he had fabricated the kidnapping story and had sent the videos to his family himself. Police then took him into custody.
The incident came to light after the family acted on the alleged ransom demand and alerted the police. The investigation exposed the plan before any ransom was paid.
