UP teen uses AI-generated image to fake kidnapping, demands ₹2 lakh from father to pay off gaming debt

A 16-year-old boy in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur allegedly staged his own kidnapping after losing nearly ₹3 lakh in online games and sent his father an AI-generated image to make the abduction appear genuine, police said on Thursday.

The Class 11 student reportedly had his Delhi-based girlfriend help him to make the abduction appear genuine. Using artificial intelligence, they created an image showing the teen with blood smeared across his face and tape covering his mouth, PTI reported.

Fake kidnapping, ransom demand

The student then sent the photograph to his father on WhatsApp along with a message demanding ₹1 lakh. The message also said that he would be killed if the money was not transferred.

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When his father said he was unable to arrange the amount, the teenager allegedly changed the demand and asked him to bring ₹2 lakh in cash.

Concerned about his son's safety, the father contacted the police. This led to an immediate investigation.

Police trace teenager to friend's house

Police said the teenager, whose father is a cloth merchant in Sant Kabir Nagar, borrowed money from friends and others to fund his online gaming. When they began asking him to repay the money, he allegedly planned the fake kidnapping to get cash from his family.

On Tuesday evening, he left home telling his family that he was going to Sikriganj and put his phone on flight mode. He later connected the device to a friend's Wi-Fi network and sent the ransom message.

Police placed the mobile number under surveillance and traced its location to Sikriganj. A police team reached the area at around 2 am and found the teenager at a friend's house.

READ ALSO | ‘Arrange ₹15 lakh’: MP teen fakes kidnap, writes ransom note, breaks piggy bank for money to live alone

Student admits to fabricating abduction story

The teenager admitted to staging the kidnapping to raise money and repay his online gaming debts, Additional SP South Dinesh Kumar Puri said on Wednesday evening.

Police are now investigating the involvement of other people who may have helped him in carrying out the plan.

Similar case

Last year, a 13-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur allegedly staged her own kidnapping after being scolded by her mother over using her mobile phone, talking to friends and wearing lipstick. She left a ₹15 lakh ransom note and ran away, but police found her within hours in the Sadar area.

The girl later admitted that she had planned the fake abduction to escape restrictions at home. She had even broken open her piggy bank to rent a room where she planned to live alone for a month. Police reunited her with her family after confirming that she had written the ransom note herself.