Karnataka: 25-year-old gambling addict lands in jail after fake abduction story

25-year-old Udupi man picked up from a Goa casino and sent to jail after he faked his own abduction to extort ₹5 lakh from his parents for his gambling addiction, news agency PTI reported.

Updated on: Jun 29, 2022, 16:32:44 IST

By Yamini C S | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan

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A young man by the name of Varun Nayak - from Karnataka's Udupi - landed himself in judicial custody after confessing that he faked his own abduction and attempted to extort ₹5 lakh in 'ransom' from his parents, news agency PTI reported.

A 25-year-old man landed himself in jail for faking his own abduction to extort ₹5 lakhs from his parents to further his gambling addiction. (HT PHOTO)

The 25-year-old is addicted to gambling and was in Goa with friends when he decided to fake his kidnapping. PTI quoted sources as saying that the man had discontinued his studies earlier and is currently unemployed.

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Nayak called his parents using mobile phones belonging to his friends and told them he had been abducted by strangers who were demanding ₹5 lakh. Udupi police - put on the case after Nayak's worried parents lodged a kidnapping complaint - tracked Nayak's location using his own phone.

Nayak was found in a casino in Goa and was brought back to Udupi on Tuesday. Upon interrogation, he confessed to having faked his abduction as he wanted money to gamble.

Nayak was brought to a court which remanded him to prison.

(With Inputs from PTI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More