Bhopal:
A 13-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur staged her own kidnapping and left behind a fake ransom note demanding Rs 15 lakh – all because she was upset with her mother’s scolding over using a mobile phone, talking to friends, and applying lipstick.
The incident occurred in Priyadarshini Colony, under Khamaria police station limits, when the girl’s mother returned home and found a handwritten note in her daughter’s room.
The note read: “Your daughter is with us. If you want her safe and sound, arrange Rs 15 lakh. If you inform the police, the consequences will be bad.”
Panic-stricken, the family immediately informed the Khamaria police. Given the sensitive nature of the case, especially involving a minor, police across Jabalpur to Bhopal were alerted and a search operation was launched.
CCTV footage from nearby areas was reviewed.
During the investigation, a local auto-rickshaw driver informed police that he had dropped off a girl matching the description near the Sadar area.
Acting swiftly, police combed through the locality and, after nearly five hours of search, the girl was found wandering in Lane No. 7 of Sadar.
To everyone’s surprise, the girl confessed that she was not kidnapped.
In fact, she had planned the entire incident to escape her daily scoldings. She had even broken her piggy bank to gather enough money to rent a room for a month, where she intended to live alone without interference.
Speaking to NDTV, Khamaria Police Station In-charge Sarojini Toppo said: “We registered a case and began investigating immediately. The ransom note raised concern, and two police teams – one from the crime branch and one local – were deployed. A breakthrough came when an auto driver informed us that he had dropped the girl near a temple. We found her in Sadar, and during questioning, she admitted she had written the ransom note herself because she was angry at being scolded.”
Toppo added that the handwriting on the ransom note matched the girl’s school notebook, confirming it was indeed written by her. The police have now handed the girl over safely to her family.
The incident caused panic in the colony throughout the day, with neighbours and relatives fearing the worst. However, it has also brought to light the growing emotional pressures on children.
The police have urged families to keep open communication with their children to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
