Youth fakes own kidnap, extorts money from father

Struggling to run his family, a youth cooked up a story of his abduction and extorted Tk 2 lakh from his father last week, but finally ended up in jail yesterday.

The cheating was discovered only after police arrested “abductee” Mehedi Hasan, 30, from Tinmatha intersection in Bogra's Gabtoli upazila headquarters on Friday, 11 days after he went into hiding, said law enforcers.

Later that day, cops picked up his wife Ayesha Akhtar, 25, and student Yusuf Uddin, 25, from Naruli and Chelopara of Bogra town for their alleged involvement in the cheating.

An employee of Reliable Polytechnic Institute, Mehedi lives with his wife at a rented house in the town's Naruli. He completed BSc in textile engineering last year from Noakhali Govt Textile Engineering College.

An anonymous caller phoned Mehedi's father Md Abul Hossian, 55, on August 3 afternoon to inform him that his son has been kidnapped. The caller asked Abul to send him a ransom of Tk 5 lakh through a mobile banking account, said police quoting Mehedi.

Two days later, Abul filed an abduction case with Bogra Sadar Police Station, accusing unnamed people of the crime. Law enforcers used modern equipment to spot the “abductee” and managed to arrest him on Friday.

Mehedi opened “Perfect Coaching” in Banani of Bogra town a few months ago by spending Tk 5 lakh. He borrowed the amount from his father and some neighbours and relatives, according to police.

The youth faced difficulties in running his family as his employer's payment was irregular and only a few polytechnic students enrolled for coaching. He recently decided to cook up the abduction scheme only after his father, a private school teacher from Gozaria village in Sonatola upazila, pushed him to repay the loan.

Yusuf of Kazipur upazila in Sirajganj used at least four SIM cards to call Mehedi's father asking for ransom. The two left Shantahar of Bogra on August 3 afternoon and travelled to Gaibandha, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Khulna, Pirojpur and Bagerhat before returning to Bogra two days ago.

Talking to The Daily Star, Abul Hossian said he works hard to make a living for his family. Besides being a schoolteacher, he also owns a rice-husking business. He deposited Tk 2 lakh into four mobile banking accounts to “free his son from kidnappers”.

THREE BEHIND BARS

The Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court-1 of Bogra yesterday afternoon sent the three arrestees to jail after police produced them before it in the case.

Earlier, Mehedi made a confessional statement before the magistrate under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, said court sources.

A local lawyer said if found guilty, the accused face a jail sentence of between one and seven years.