Lucknow NEET Aspirant Allegedly Stages Own Kidnapping Over Online Gaming Debt

A shocking case from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh has shown how an addiction to online gaming led a 17-year-old NEET aspirant to stage his own kidnapping. The student allegedly created a false kidnapping story to repay money he had lost in online gaming.

The case was reported from the Para area of Lucknow. The student was preparing for medical entrance exams, but had become addicted to online gaming. He had earlier lost around ₹70,000 in gaming. His family had somehow repaid that amount.

Recently, the student accumulated another debt of ₹50,000. When his family refused to give him more money, he suddenly disappeared from home. He then allegedly planned a fake kidnapping drama to frighten his family and arrange money.

The student removed the SIM card from his phone and used an external Wi-Fi connection and a voice changer to send messages to his father. In the messages, he demanded a ransom of 5 lakh rupees. He also threatened that the student would be killed if the money was not paid.

To create more fear, he even sent a fake message claiming that he had been murdered. His father became frightened and somehow arranged 3 lakh rupees. He immediately contacted the police.

The fake kidnapping case was uncovered through a digital payment. The student messaged his cousin, asking for money to buy food, and sent her a barcode. As soon as his cousin transferred ₹2,000, the police surveillance team traced the location connected to the payment.

Lucknow Police then reached the spot. The student was found completely safe and in the company of his girlfriend. Police clarified that this was not a kidnapping. It was a fake drama allegedly created by the student to escape his gaming debt and extract money from his family.

The case has brought to light the steps taken by the student after his family refused to provide more money. The demand for 5 lakh rupees, the threat to kill him, the fake message claiming that he had been murdered and the later digital payment all formed part of the same staged kidnapping story.