Bhopal: A 19-year-old son of a cloth merchant was kidnapped at gunpoint from Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district after three youths allegedly mistook him for a millionaire based on his social media posts showing expensive smartphones and a luxury lifestyle.The kidnappers demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom, but police rescued the teenager within hours. The three accused were arrested later and allegedly confessed they believed the victim came from a wealthy family and expected to make quick money.The victim, Anshul alias Kanha Dengre, son of cloth merchant Rajesh Dengre, was abducted on the night of June 27. Shortly after the kidnapping, his family received a phone call demanding Rs 10 lakh for his release.The family informed the police, which traced Anshul to a forest and rescued him safely in the early hours of June 28. The kidnappers fled before the police reached the spot but were tracked down and arrested on Saturday.Police said the prime accused, Rajkamal Rajak (19), was Anshul’s former schoolmate and used their friendship to lure him out. About 10 days before the incident, Anshul had posted a social media status offering to sell his iPhone. Rajkamal allegedly contacted him pretending to be a buyer, took him on a motorcycle to the forest and, along with two accomplices, held him hostage at gunpoint.Investigators said the suspects had been monitoring Anshul’s social media accounts for nearly a week.During the abduction, the family transferred Rs 1.48 lakh into Rajkamal’s bank account under pressure from the kidnappers. Police and the cyber cell immediately contacted the bank and froze the account before the money could be withdrawn. The amount will be returned to the family after completion of legal formalities.Police recovered one country-made pistol, two improvised firearms, a live cartridge and two motorcycles allegedly used in the crime. The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. Before being taken to court, they were paraded through the town by the police.
