Bengaluru: Photo studio owner stages own kidnap, arrested

Bengaluru: A 29-year-old owner of a photo studio was caught in his web of lies and was arrested by the South division police for staging his own kidnap drama to escape from his creditors.

The arrested, Prathap, had called the police helpline and also South division DCP K. Annamalai to rescue him from kidnappers.

Prathap, a resident of Bommanahali, had taken nearly Rs 40 lakh from his friends, and when they started demanding the money back, he decided to stage the kidnap drama.

On November 11 evening, he called the police helpline, saying that he had been kidnapped by some unidentified men near Kothanur Dinne and they were taking him in an Innova car near Kengeri. Konanakunte police, who were alerted, formed a special team and went to Kengeri. Prathap again called the police to say that he was being moved towards Mysuru. When the team reached Mysuru, he called them to say that the kidnappers were shifting him to Madikeri and switched off the phone, the police said.

Prathap called DCP Annamalai the next day and complained that the police team failed to rescue him and requested the officer’s help. The DCP instructed his team to take the case seriously.

The following day, on November 13, he called the police helpline around 9.30 pm to say that the kidnappers had abandoned him on NICE Road. The police went to the spot and brought him to police station. They let him go home that night as he pretended to be tired. On November 14, he appeared before the police and confessed that he staged his own kidnap drama as moneylenders were forcing him to return the money.

The police booked him under IPC Section 182 (False information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) and produced him before court, which remanded him to judicial custody.