A 21-year-old woman faked her abduction for a ransom of Rs 30 lakh from her parents to raise money to travel abroad. Kavya, who is yet to be traced, spent just three days in Kota in the entire year after her mother left her to stay in a hostel to take coaching classes in 2023, news agency PTI reported citing a police official.
Kavya had been sending pictures and messages to her parents, leading them to believe that she was still in Rajasthan's coaching hub where her mother had left her, Kota Police stated.
The incident came to light after her parents, who live in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri, received a ransom demand of Rs 30 lakh along with the pictures of their daughter which showed her hands and feet tied.
Shortly after receiving the ransom call, Kavya's father Raghuveer Dhakad on March 18, lodged a complaint with Kota police alleging that her daughter had been abducted.
Taking cognizance of the incident, the police immediately began investigating the case, after which they found out that Kavya was last spotted in Indore on Tuesday evening, PTI reported citing Kota Superintendent of Police Amrita Duhan.
The investigation further revealed that Kavya stayed at the Kota hospital for just three days and later moved to Indore, where she had been living there with two of her male friends.
The SP further stated that the woman kept her parents in the dark by sending them messages regarding class tests and her presence in the classes under the name of the coaching institute where she was supposed to pursue her coaching in Kota.
Alleged Reason Behind The Staged Kidnapping
As per the details provided by one of her friends who is cooperating with the police, Kavya and the other friend, who she is with right now, wanted to go abroad. Since they did not have enough money, they staged the abduction in order to make arrangements for money by getting ransom from Kavya's parents, PTI reported as per details provided by the SP.
The pictures of her staged kidnapping that were sent to her parents were taken in a common friend's room, SP Duhan added.
The woman and the duo have kept their mobiles switched off, Circle Inspector Satish Chaudhary stated. The inspector also told PTI on Tuesday that the preliminary investigation revealed that the police did not find any record of Kavya's admission to the institute or the hostel, mentioned by her father.
SP Duhab also stated that as per the leads gathered till now, there is no evidence regarding Kavya's abduction. "The actual circumstances would be clear only after the woman is rescued," she stated.
"Once Kavya is traced and rescued, it will be clear if she did this under pressure or free will," she added.
Amid the ongoing search for Kavya and her friends, the Kota police also appealed to them to report to a nearby police station and contact her parents, PTI reported.