Indore: Man fakes own kidnapping to demand ₹1 lakh ransom from father, held with friends

Stuck in the vicious cycle of borrowing for gratifying expensive hobbies, a 24-year-old man from Indore allegedly faked his kidnapping with the help of friends and demanded ₹1 lakh "ransom" from his father, but swift action by police unravelled the conspiracy.

The main accused, Satish Gupta, and his two friends- Aarush Arora and Tejveer Singh Sandhu- have been arrested based on certain clues, police said on Wednesday.

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Man involved in betting on IPL matches

Despite expensive hobbies, Satish was prima facie involved in betting on Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

Shreeram Gupta, a resident of Indore, received a call on Tuesday informing him that his son Satish Gupta had been kidnapped.

"The senior Gupta was told to pay ₹1 lakh ransom for his son's release," Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Devendra Singh Dhurve told reporters.

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Based on investigations and clues, police detained Arora and Sandhu. Their questioning blew the lid off the "kidnapping" story.

Dhurve said Satish involved his two friends in the plan and made them call up his father seeking ransom for his release from 'kidnappers'.

The prima facie motive behind the crime is Satish's desperation to settle his debt.

"Satish incurred a huge debt due to his expensive hobbies. According to him, he fabricated the kidnapping story to pay off the loan. He was also involved in Indian Premier League betting," the ACP said, adding that a detailed investigation is underway.