Amritsar man held for making ransom calls to missing people’s family

Vijay Verma would check with the family whether the missing person(s) had returned home. If not, he would call them later demanding ransom claiming to have kidnapped their kin.

Taking a cue from a popular TV crime show, a 26-year-old man from Amritsar made ransom calls on the phone numbers of the families of missing persons whose details were posted on Facebook with appeals for help to trace them.

HT File

Vijay Verma, who runs a footwear shop at Jandiala Guru, Amritsar, has been arrested. He would first check with the family whether the missing person(s) had returned home. If not, he would call them later demanding ransom claiming to have kidnapped their kin, police said.

Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Alka Meena said Vijay recently made an attempt to get ransom from a family of a missing youth saying that he had kidnapped him. Santam Singh of Charnathal Kalan in the district approached the police on October 4 that his son Manpreet Singh went to college and did not return.

When the police tracked Manpreet’s mobile number, it was found that he had reached Delhi and switched off his phone thereafter. After getting no clue about Manpreet, the family shared his picture on Facebook, making a public appeal to help them trace the youth.

After seeing the Facebook post, Vijay called up the family to check whether Manpreet had returned home. After finding that the youth was still missing, Vijay made another call on October 13 demanding ₹6 lakh ransom saying Manpreet was in his captivity.

The parents informed the police who swung into action. They nabbed Vijay within 16 hours of the call, the SSP said.

Vijay called the family to the Amritsar bus stand and even became clean shaven to avoid being recognised. The SSP said he had made similar bids twice in the past, but failed, as the missing persons in both cases had reached home by then.