Pune: In a dramatic turn of events, a jewelry trader from Bibwewadi, Pune, who was presumed kidnapped for ransom, turned up at the Bibwewadi Police Station after being missing for three days. Investigations revealed that the businessman, Shah, had staged his own abduction due to financial distress caused by unpaid loans.
Kidnapping Hoax to Escape Financial Pressure
The incident began when Shah’s wife received a call from her husband's own phone, with a demand for ₹2 crore as ransom. The caller, posing as a kidnapper, warned her to arrange the money immediately before the phone was switched off.
After receiving no further communication for two hours, his worried wife alerted the Pune Police Control Room, prompting authorities to launch an intensive search operation.
During the investigation, the police found his two-wheeler abandoned near Navale Bridge in Pune, raising suspicions. Teams from the Pune Police and Crime Branch tracked the case to Mumbai, but the businessman remained untraceable.
Three Days on the Run
Further investigations revealed that Shah had deliberately disappeared to escape loan recovery agents. After making the ransom call, he switched off his phone and traveled using a private vehicle from Ravet to Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.
Over the next three days, he stayed at multiple locations:
A lodge in Bombay Central for one day
A lodge in Khar West, Mumbai, for two days
A lodge in Vile Parle for another day
Finally, realizing that his plan would not work, Shah surrendered at Bibwewadi Police Station and confessed to the fake kidnapping. He told police that he had borrowed money from 10 to 12 people in Pune at high-interest rates but was unable to repay them. To escape the constant pressure from lenders, he decided to orchestrate his own disappearance.