KUALA LUMPUR: A man apparently staged his own kidnapping on the advice of loan sharks to trick his parents into settling his RM40,000 debt.
However, the plan unravelled less than 24 hours later when the police found him at a budget hotel after suspecting that a photograph of him lying inside a car boot, sent to his parents as “proof of life”, seemed more like a selfie than a real hostage case.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said the 28-year-old e-hailing driver had previously accumulated RM45,000 in debts, which his father settled in early May.
“At the time, he promised his father that he would never borrow from loan sharks again.
“However, by the end of June, he is believed to have done it again, with his debts estimated at about RM40,000 based on police investigations.
“His family had no idea about this until his mother received a phone call claiming that he had been kidnapped,” he said in a press conference yesterday.
Chong said the mother received a call on July 25 from her son’s mobile phone.
“The caller, who claimed to be a loan shark, demanded RM30,000 as ransom for his release. When she tried calling her son back, there was no answer,” he said.
The man’s father later managed to contact his son, who claimed that he had been kidnapped, held at knifepoint and would be killed if the ransom was not paid.
“The family then lodged a police report before being referred to the Selayang district police headquarters,” Chong added.
While at the police station, he said the father continued receiving calls from the so-called kidnappers.
On police advice, the father asked for proof that his son was still alive and later received a photograph purportedly showing him lying inside a car boot.
“However, the police immediately suspected that the photograph was a fake because it resembled a selfie rather than a genuine hostage photograph,” Chong noted.
The police then tracked the mobile phone and found the man hiding at a budget hotel in Kuang near Sungai Buloh.
“According to police investigations, the man claimed that it was the loan sharks who guided him on how to stage the kidnapping in order to pressure his parents into handing over the money,” Chong said.
He added that the man has since been charged under Section 385 of the Penal Code for extortion and Section 417 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The man’s 58-year-old father, who declined to be named, said he was deeply disappointed by his son’s deception.
“I will not help my son anymore. I will also not repay any more debts owed to loan sharks. As for the loan sharks, do not come looking for me again,” he said, adding that he is now leaving the matter to the police.
