Ranjit Mehta of Basantapur-6, Sunsari, who was forced by his unrelenting parents to do a health assistant course despite his request to let him continue higher studies in science, was arrested Saturday by Morang Police for faking his kidnap. [break]
Mehta, 19, withdrew the amount of Rs 40,000 deposited with Birat Health College, Biratnagar and had called his family changing his voice. He was staying in Biratnagar-5, Jamungachhi on rent and had called his kid brother Santosh, elder brother Pramod and uncle Satya Narayan demanding a ransom of Rs 500,000.
“We had suspected that he was not kidnapped as he had used his own cell phone for asking ransom, and the area from where he made the calls was the one frequented by him,” Superintendent of Police (SP) in Morang Deepak Thapa revealed in a press conference Saturday.
Morang Police is all set to try Mehta on Public Offense Act for causing unnecessary tension to the family and wasting the security resources on a fake kidnap case. In his statement to the police, Mehta has said that he enacted the drama to gather money for his further studies as he wanted to study BSc (Bachelor of Science) like his friends.
His family, however, claimed they had generously spent on his study. “We don´t believe his excuse of trying to generate money to fund educational expenses. He must have demanded such a big amount for indulgence,” said a police officer.
Earlier, on September 4, police had arrested Rahul Gupta, 20, of Biratnagar-7 for faking his kidnap. Gupta had got himself kidnapped having been snubbed by a girl for romantic liaison and had even got away with the ransom amount of Rs 20,000. Police in Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Bara, Parsa and Dhanusha districts had spent their resources trying to secure his safe release.
Similarly, Sita Nagarkoti of Damak-11, Jhapa had feigned her abduction in September to cheat her employers after Kakarbhitta police snatched the goods she was trying to smuggle into India. She was found in front of Birat Nursing Home, Biratnagar by Morang police. Both Gupta and Nagarkoti are now being tried under the Public Offense Act.
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