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‘Arrange ₹15 lakh’: MP teen fakes kidnap, writes ransom note, breaks piggy bank for money to live alone
The 13-year-old girl confessed she faked her kidnapping to escape frequent scoldings, using her piggy bank savings to rent a room and live alone for a month.
A 13-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, allegedly staged her own kidnapping reportedly after being scolded by her mother for “using mobile phone, talking to friends and applying lipstick”.
The incident took place in Priyadarshini Colony, under the jurisdiction of Khamaria police station. According to an NDTV report, when the girl's mother came home, she found a handwritten note in her daughter’s room that read: “Your daughter is with us. If you want her safe and sound, arrange ₹15 lakh. If you inform the police, the consequences will be bad.”
Frightened by the message, the family immediately contacted Khamaria police. Given the involvement of a minor, police teams across Jabalpur and Bhopal were swiftly mobilised, launching an extensive search operation. During the investigation, it was discovered that the girl had staged her own abduction. She later confessed to the act and was safely located and reunited with her family.
The fake abduction led to a wave of panic across the colony, with worried neighbours and relatives fearing for the girl's safety. The incident has also drawn attention to the growing emotional strain on children.
In response, police have advised parents to maintain open and supportive communication with their children to help prevent similar situations in the future.
How did police finally find her?
Police examined CCTV footage from nearby areas as part of their investigation. During the search, an auto-rickshaw driver told officers he had dropped off a girl resembling the missing teen near the Sadar area.
Police then searched the locality and, after nearly five hours, located the girl wandering around Lane No. 7 in Sadar.
To everyone's surprise, the girl admitted she had not been kidnapped. Instead, she revealed that she had orchestrated the entire episode to escape regular scoldings at home.
She had even broken open her piggy bank to collect enough money to rent a room for a month, where she planned to live independently without interference.
Khamaria Police Station in-charge Sarojini Toppo told NDTV: “We registered a case and began investigating immediately. The ransom note raised concern, and two police teams - one from the crime branch and one local - were deployed. A breakthrough came when an auto driver informed us that he had dropped the girl near a temple. We found her in Sadar, and during questioning, she admitted she had written the ransom note herself because she was angry at being scolded.”
Toppo also confirmed that the handwriting on the ransom note matched samples from the girl's school notebook, establishing that she had written it herself.
Police have since reunited the girl with her family.
Teen fakes abduction with friends in Maharashtra
In a separate incident that took place in March, a 19-year-old man and his two friends were arrested in Maharashtra’s Vasai for staging a fake kidnapping and demanding ₹3 lakh from his family, The Times of India reported on April 11, citing police.
According to officials, the trio had planned the fake abduction in a bid to raise funds to start a printing business, knowing they couldn't afford to launch it on their own. They deliberately chose a crowded locality in Govandi to make the abduction seem believable.
On March 31, Saheblal Tiwari approached Achole police station in Nalasopara around 11.30 pm with a video showing his nephew, Rohan Sipahilal Tiwari, apparently being kidnapped, assaulted, and bleeding from the forehead.
To make the ransom call appear convincing, the alleged kidnappers even contacted the family to demand money. While the police continued communication with them, ₹5,000 was sent as an initial payment to maintain the illusion of a real ransom exchange.
The next day, on April 1, all three individuals involved in the hoax were apprehended.
