Man held for faking kidnapping to extort Rs25 lakh from family

Bijnor: A 23-year-old man and his friend were arrested on Saturday for allegedly faking his kidnapping to extort money from his family, police said.Mohd Nazim conspired with his friend Amit to carry out the scheme. "The investigation began after a kidnapping complaint was filed by Nazim's father, Mohd Arif, who reported that his son had been abducted and that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of Rs 25 lakh, accompanied by a video sent to the family", CO Shwetabh Bhaskar said.On Sept 25, Nazim went missing on his way to his sister's house in Moradabad, prompting his family to lodge a missing person's report the following day. On Sept 27, a video was sent to Nazim's cousin, Naseem, along with ransom messages sent to his brother-in-law, Shaukeen. The video showed Nazim lying on the ground with his hands and legs tied.SP Amroha Anupam Singh said, "Three teams were formed to locate and rescue Nazim. He was found in Najibabad, and Amit Kumar, a resident of Gajraula, was arrested. During questioning, Nazim confessed to faking his kidnapping due to financial troubles in an attempt to extort money from his family.Both have been arrested and will be presented before the court."