NEET student fakes kidnapping, sends his death message to family over Rs 50,000 debt

A 17-year-old NEET aspirant in Lucknow allegedly faked his kidnapping and sent his family a false death message to repay a Rs 50,000 online gaming debt, demanding Rs 5 lakh in ransom.

In Short

• Sent fake death message, demanded Rs 5 lakh ransom from family
• Police traced and rescued teenager with girlfriend, exposing hoax
• Teen addicted to online gaming, had prior Rs 70,000 loss

A 17-year-old NEET aspirant in Lucknow allegedly staged his own kidnapping and sent his family a fake message about his death to repay a Rs 50,000 debt he incurred through online gaming. The teenager also demanded 5 lakh in ransom from his family, prompting his father to arrange 3 lakh to secure his son's release.

Police later traced the teenager and rescued him along with his girlfriend, uncovering the conspiracy that had triggered panic in his family and prompted an investigation.

The incident began after 9 pm on October 20, when the teenager, who was preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and living in Lucknow's Para area, went missing. His mother approached the Para police station and filed a missing-person complaint. His father works for a private company in Delhi.

After leaving home, the teenager removed the SIM card from his mobile phone to prevent police from tracking his location. He then used a Wi-Fi connection to send WhatsApp messages to his mother, father and uncle, claiming that someone had kidnapped him.

A few hours later, he sent a voice note in which he disguised his voice and demanded Rs 5 lakh as ransom. Fearing for their son's safety, his family scrambled to arrange the money, and his father managed to arrange Rs 3 lakh.

The teenager then escalated the deception by sending his family a false message claiming that he had died. The kidnapping and death messages left his family distraught and triggered an intensive police investigation.

Police launched an investigation using surveillance and informers to establish the teenager's whereabouts. Their inquiries eventually revealed that the kidnapping was fabricated. Officers found the teenager safe with his girlfriend and informed his family that he was alive, bringing an end to their ordeal.

ONLINE GAMING DEBT LED TO KIDNAPPING HOAX

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.

According to the police, 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.

Police also said the teenager spent money on his girlfriend for outings and other activities.

- Ends
With inputs from Ankit Mishra.