20-year-old fakes own kidnapping to buy motorbike

Arun Satam (20) faked his own kidnapping to get Rs 10,000 from his parents for buying a second-hand motorcycle. During police interrogation, Satam confessed and was arrested by the crime branch on Thursday.

Arun Satam (20) faked his own kidnapping to get Rs 10,000 from his parents for buying a second-hand motorcycle. During police interrogation, Satam confessed and was arrested by the crime branch on Thursday.

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Joint commissioner of police, crime, Rakesh Maria, said Satam lived with his uncle at Police Lines in Worli.

His uncle works with the Mumbai police while Satam worked in the house-keeping section of a private company at Andheri.

On February 2, Arun allegedly told his uncle that the previous day two masked men grabbed him and pushed him inside a Tata Sumo near Deepak Talkies when he was on his way to Lower Parel station.

The two men forcefully took away Rs 500 from Satam wallet and asked him to meet them at the same spot with Rs 10,000. Satam asked his uncle to arrange the money from his parents. But his uncle insisted he lodge a complaint.

Satam was forced to lodge a complaint with the N M Joshi Marg police station, which registered an offence (of extortion and kidnapping) against the unidentified men.

The Unit III crime branch also began its parallel probe. But Maria said that the crime branch had got suspicious about Satam’s claims as it was unusual for kidnappers to release the victim and ask him to get the money the next day.

Satam was subjected to sustained questioning and he confessed to plotting the fake kidnapping, as he wanted to buy a second hand motorcycle to travel to his work.

He had already struck a deal for Rs 10,000, but did not have the money.

Satam was aware that his father had recently sold a property and discussed his problem with a friend who suggested the fake kidnapping idea. Satam will be produced in the court on Friday for remand.