'I Am Kidnapped': UP Teen's 'Crocodile Tears' To Extort Rs 5 Lakh From Family

A 19-year-old teenager from Uttar Pradesh allegedly staged his own kidnapping in Maharashtra's Pune and even sent a video of himself crying to convince his family that he had been kidnapped. His plan was to frighten his family into paying a Rs 5 lakh ransom, but the deception was uncovered when police traced his location to a lodge in Pune.According to police, the accused, identified as Om Prakash Gaurishankar, is a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Banda district.Om Prakash had come to Pune some time ago but did not have a permanent job. Police said he was struggling financially and had repeatedly sought money from his family. When his financial problems continued, he allegedly decided to obtain a large sum by staging his own kidnapping.To carry out the plan, he contacted his family in Uttar Pradesh and claimed that he had been kidnapped in Pune. To make the story appear genuine, he recorded and sent a video showing himself crying uncontrollably.He told his family that the kidnappers would release him only if they were paid Rs 5 lakh as ransom.Alarmed by the video and the ransom demand, his family approached the police in Uttar Pradesh and lodged a complaint.Given the seriousness of the allegation, Uttar Pradesh Police immediately informed Pune Police about the reported kidnapping and ransom demand.After receiving the alert, Pune Police began efforts to locate the teenager. Officers from various police stations, along with senior officials on night patrol, joined the operation to find him.Using the mobile number provided by Uttar Pradesh Police, a police team started tracking his phone. The investigation led them to the Khadki area of Pune, where the phone's location was found.Found Safe In A LodgePolice then raided Crown Plaza Lodging in Khadki.When officers entered the room, they found no kidnappers. Instead, Om Prakash was sitting safely inside the lodge.During questioning, he allegedly admitted that no kidnapping had taken place and that he had fabricated the entire story to extract Rs 5 lakh from his elder brother. Police said he had deliberately recorded and sent the crying video to make the claim appear believable.Police have taken the accused into custody and are carrying out further legal action in the case.