Lucknow NEET aspirant allegedly fakes kidnapping, demands Rs 5 lakh ransom from family to repay online gaming debt

Lucknow: A NEET aspirant from Lucknow has been found safe after his family reported receiving messages claiming that he had been kidnapped and later died. Police investigation revealed that the incident had allegedly been fabricated following a debt incurred through online gaming.

The teenager had reportedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from his family as ransom and asked his father to arrange Rs 3 lakh for his release. According to police, he had staged the incident to obtain money to repay his gaming debt and meet other expenses.

According to the TOI report, the case relates to a 17-year-old NEET aspirant in Lucknow, who, to repay the debt from online gaming, allegedly staged his own kidnapping and sent his family a fake message claiming that he had died after running up a debt of Rs 50,000 through online gaming. The teenager also demanded Rs 5 lakh as ransom, asking his father to arrange Rs 3 lakh to secure his release, before police traced him and found him safe with his friend. Police discovered that he had asked his family for money to fund outings with his friend and repay his debts.

The incident took place on October 20, when the teenager, who lived in the Para area of Lucknow, went missing after 9 pm. His mother subsequently approached the Para police station and filed a missing-person complaint.

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After leaving home, the teenager removed the SIM card from his mobile phone to avoid being traced. He then connected to Wi-Fi and sent WhatsApp messages to his mother, father and uncle, claiming that he had been kidnapped.

As per TOI report, 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.

A few hours later, he allegedly sent a voice note in which he disguised his voice and demanded Rs 5 lakh from his family. Worried about his safety, the family began arranging the money, with his father managing to arrange Rs 3 lakh.

The teenager later sent another disturbing message falsely claiming that he had died, and told his family to search for his body in the forests of Chennai. This triggered panic among his family and relatives.

The family subsequently informed the police, who launched an investigation with the assistance of the surveillance cell.

To trace his whereabouts, the police team used surveillance and informers and eventually found the boy, who confessed that the kidnapping had been fabricated. The teenager was found safe with his friend, and officers informed his family that he was alive.

Speaking to India Today, Deputy Commissioner of Police Jitendra Kumar Srivastava said "The teenager had developed an addiction to online gaming and had previously lost around Rs 70,000 while playing games. His family had paid off that amount at the time, but he continued gaming. The teenager frequently asked his family for Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, claiming that he needed the money for his studies and examination-related expenses. He also continued borrowing money from people outside the family to fund his gaming activities. The teenager subsequently lost another Rs 50,000, leaving him struggling to repay his lenders. When his family grew tired of his repeated demands and stopped giving him money, he devised the kidnapping hoax to obtain funds to settle his debt."

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