An 18-year-old first-year student in Rajasthan's Kota fakes kidnapping and demands ₹2 lakh ransom from his parents to settle a gaming debt. The police revealed that the teen, Suraj Gochar, devised the plan after losing ₹40,000 in an online game and watching a television series.

Superintendent of Police Amrita Duhan reported that Bhojraj Gochar, Suraj's father, filed a missing person's report when his son did not return home after leaving on Tuesday. During the investigation, Bhojraj received a WhatsApp message from Suraj's phone, showing a photo of the teen with his hands tied and mouth gagged, along with a ransom demand.

fakes kidnapping
Image Source: New African Magazine

The police quickly formed a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Manish Sharma to locate Suraj. Using technical investigations and inputs, they tracked him down to Jaipur Junction station and detained him.

According to the police, Suraj had left home under the pretext of filling out an admission form. Once in Jaipur, he staged the kidnapping by taking a photo of himself tied up in a hostel room, using the timer on his phone camera, and sent it to his father.

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