Lucknow, Oct 25: A 17-year-old NEET aspirant who was reported kidnapped had staged the abduction himself, Lucknow's Para police said, after the boy was recovered safely and the case was cracked within 48 hours, The Times of India reported. The teenager is not being named because he is a minor.

Source: The Times of India

According to police, the case took a serious turn when the boy's brother, mother, father and maternal uncle began receiving WhatsApp messages demanding Rs 5 lakh as ransom. Police said their investigation found that the messages were part of a plot staged by the aspirant himself.

Source: The Times of India

Police said the boy wanted money to fund outings with his girlfriend and to clear debts run up on online gaming. India Today, which also reported the case on Sunday, put the debt at about Rs 50,000 and said the student had sent his family a message suggesting he would die, which deepened the family's alarm before police traced him.

Source: India Today via MyPressToday

The boy was recovered safely, police said. The account above is based on the police version reported by the two outlets; further legal proceedings involving a minor are not detailed in the reports.