Bhubaneswar: Info Valley police on Thursday detained a 22-year-old engineering student and three of his friends for plotting his own kidnapping and demanding Rs 13 lakh ransom from his family to pay off debts.On Wednesday, the student’s father, a resident of Kalahandi district, lodged a complaint at Info Valley police station, alleging that his son had been kidnapped by miscreants, who sought Rs 13 lakh for his release.The final-year engineering student was living with friends in a rented house in Madanpur area of Bhubaneswar.“We acted swiftly, registered a kidnapping case and formed a special team. Using technical inputs, human intelligence, and rapid ground action, our officers traced the supposed victim within an hour to a house near the Madanpur panchayat office. He was rescued safely, and several associates were detained,” police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said.During investigation, it later turned out that the student had reportedly fabricated the abduction to coerce his father into paying off his debts that he had accumulated through extravagant spending on expensive hobbies. “We have learnt that he borrowed nearly Rs 10 lakh from friends over the years. Our investigation is now focused on tracing how he spent such a large sum,” another police officer said.With help from friends, he reportedly called his parents from his own mobile phone, falsely claiming he had been kidnapped and that the miscreants have been demanding ransom.“Since the victim, who is also the prime accused, is a student, we will not proceed with a formal arrest. He and his friends will be released after giving them a stern warning,” the officer added.
