Man stages own kidnapping to extort brother from Dubai

Itanagar: Pradeep Bhattarai walked into a construction site in Arunachal Pradesh after orchestrating a fake kidnapping. His family reported him missing at the Borghat Police Station in Tezpur, Assam, after he vanished from Guwahati on August 2. The scheme hit a wall when his brother, who works in Dubai, received ransom demands on August 14 and 15. The caller demanded payments via UPI.

Kra Daadi Superintendent of Police Sepraj Perme stated, "Technical surveillance of the calls traced their origin to the Palin township area in Kra Daadi district." Sub-Inspector Kaling Pait led the Palin Police Station team to the construction site on August 16. Officers recovered Bhattarai alongside a laborer named Lucky Kanta Payang.

Bhattarai admitted he took a train from Guwahati to Naharlagun on August 8 to find work. He reached Palin on August 10. Investigators discovered Bhattarai used Payang's phone to make the calls, disguising his voice to trick his sibling. Authorities processed the incident under case number MMR-63/2026. On August 17, police handed both men over to the Borghat authorities. Officials warned the public to verify all kidnapping claims before sending cash.