Maharashtra: Teenager trapped through fake Instagram, kidnapped; accused posed as girl, gained boy’s trust, 4 held

THANE: A 15-year-old boy was kidnapped for ransom by four young men after being lured through a fake Instagram account, police said on Thursday. The Class 10 student was reportedly contacted on Instagram by the accused, who posed as a young girl. Over time, they developed an emotional bond, giving the impression of a romantic relationship and earning the boy’s trust. The accused then invited him to meet at Nandivali in Kalyan (East), Thane. The boy travelled there in an app-based cab, only to be kidnapped and confined in a room in a residential building. The men demanded a ransom of Rs 20 lakh, sending a WhatsApp voice message to his family. After the boy’s parents filed a complaint on December 28, police tracked the cab using CCTV footage and technical analysis. Within 24 hours, they raided the location, rescued the boy, and arrested all four suspects. The accused have been identified as Pradeep Kumar Jaiswal (24), Vishal Pasi (19), Chandan Maurya (19), and Satyam Yadav (19). They have been booked for kidnapping and extortion under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and remanded in police custody.