Google Translate, fake Instagram profile: How three men in Delhi won teen’s trust — then kidnapped him

On Wednesday, the teen’s cousin told police that the family had received a ransom call from the teen’s WhatsApp account.

“The caller said around 1 pm on Tuesday, his cousin had gone to Saket Metro Station with a friend to see an acquaintance he met on Instagram. While they were waiting for the girl, three unknown men abducted the boy on a scooter,” DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said.

“They threatened to shoot the victim’s friend if he followed them and drove off. The friend then called the victim’s cousin and narrated the incident,” the police officer said.

In the meantime, the victim’s cousin received a QR code for the payment of the ransom on WhatsApp. The code was found to be linked to a bank in Andhra Pradesh.

“The last known location of the victim’s mobile phone was traced to Sangam Vihar in South Delhi. As soon as the banking details were pursued, police teams focused on retrieving the IP addresses used for WhatsApp and Instagram logins,” DCP Chauhan said.

On Thursday, the three accused were arrested from the Karni Singh Shooting Range in the Tughlakabad area, and the minor was rescued.

This was not the first time that the suspects had been involved in such an incident, said police, adding that further investigation is underway.

While two of them worked as part-time waiters, the main accused had bought a scooter to work as a delivery boy. But he started using the two-wheeler for perpetrating such crimes, officers added.