Sikkim: 14-yr-old girl stages own kidnapping, demands Rs 3 lakh ransom from parents

A 14-year-old girl from Gangtok, Sikkim, staged her own kidnapping and demanded Rs 3 lakh from her parents. She was rescued in Siliguri, West Bengal, and police investigations confirmed the ransom calls and voice notes were self-generated

Gangtok: A 14-year-old girl from Sikkim has been rescued from Siliguri in neighbouring West Bengal after she allegedly staged her own kidnapping and demanded Rs 3 lakh from her parents as ransom, police said on Wednesday.

According to an FIR lodged by her parents, the girl had left home in Gangtok for school on March 13 but did not return. They later received a call from an unknown person demanding Rs 3 lakh as ransom, warning them of killing the girl if the amount was not paid, a police statement said.

---

A search operation was launched and the girl was later traced in Siliguri, where she was seen wandering alone near Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) bus terminus and was brought back to Gangtok on Tuesday, it said.

Preliminary investigation suggested that the minor staged her own disappearance and sent ransom messages and calls, and even voice notes featuring herself crying and claiming that she has been kidnapped, it said, adding that further investigation is underway.