Unable to pay for mobile phones, Mumbai man fakes his own kidnapping to extract Rs 5 lakh from father

On the night of May 30, Jitendra’s wife received a call from her husband’s mobile number, informing her that her husband has been kidnapped and if the family wants to see him alive, they should pay Rs 5 lakh, police said. She informed her father-in-law Dineshlal Joshi, a resident of Dahisar and sells milk. Dineshlal filed a police complaint.

“We scanned nearly 100 CCTV cameras and after obtaining important leads, traced Jitendra in Malad area within five hours and solved the case,” said Ajaykumar Bansal, deputy commissioner of police, zone-11.

“Sensing something amiss in his story, we questioned him thoroughly in which he admitted to have faked his own kidnapping with the help of a man who works with him in the same company. On Jitendra’s instruction, he had made the phone call to Jitendra’s wife… The other person has not been made accused in the case,” said senior inspector Pramod Tawade of Bangur Nagar police station.

“A probe revealed that the accused had bought two expensive mobile phones on monthly installment. Since he also had other loans, he was unable to pay the EMIs and decided to fake his own kidnapping to arrange the money,” said assistant police inspector Rahul Bangar.