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How 4 teen used Instagram to kidnap 15-year-old boy for ransom in Maharashtra
The Class 10 student was contacted on Instagram by the accused, who pretended to be a teenage girl.
A 15-year-old boy was rescued within a day after being abducted for ransom by four young men who allegedly used a fake Instagram profile to lure him, police said on Thursday.
According to officials, the Class 10 student was contacted on Instagram by the accused, who pretended to be a teenage girl. Over time, they gained his confidence by maintaining regular conversations and creating a false sense of emotional attachment, PTI reported.
Using this deception, the group asked the boy to meet them at Nandivali in Kalyan East, which is located in the Thane district. Trusting the person he believed he knew online, the teenager travelled to the spot in an app-based cab, police said.
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When he arrived, he was allegedly kidnapped by four men and held captive in a room inside a residential building. The accused later contacted the boy’s family and demanded ₹20 lakh as ransom, sending a voice message on WhatsApp to reinforce the threat.
The boy’s parents approached the police on December 28 after losing contact with him. Police analysed CCTV footage and technical data to trace the cab that dropped the teenager at the location and questioned the driver.
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Based on further leads, police raided a room in Nandivali, rescued the boy safely and arrested all four accused within 24 hours of the complaint, an official said.
The arrested men have been identified as Pradeep Kumar Jaiswal (24), Vishal Pasi (19), Chandan Maurya (19) and Satyam Yadav (19).
They have been booked under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for kidnapping and extortion. A court has remanded all four to police custody for further investigation, officials said.
(PTI reported)
