Surat:
A 36-year-old businessman in Gujarat’s Surat suddenly went missing, prompting his family to file a missing persons report. After filing the complaint, the family soon started receiving threatening messages from the man’s phone that claimed that he had been kidnapped. When the police began investigating the case, it took an unexpected turn. The revelation left both the police and the family of the allegedly kidnapped man astonished.
The case began on June 12, when the wife of Jigneshbhai Laljibhai Talaviya, a resident of Surat’s Utran area, filed a missing-person report with the police station. Following the complaint, family members began receiving threatening messages from Jigneshbhai’s mobile phone that claimed Jigneshbhai had been kidnapped and demanded Rs 50 lakh for his safe return. The messages also threatened that if the police were informed, he would be killed and his body would be the only thing recovered.
As the police continued their investigation, the family received a video showing Jigneshbhai appearing to be held captive. In the video, he was seen tied to a window grill with pieces of cloth.
Police said the investigation then proceeded with the help of technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and human intelligence. Initial technical data suggested Jigneshbhai might be located in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district. However, based on an analysis of the video and information from the informant network, the police discovered that the video had actually been filmed in Godhra. Subsequently, a police team visited the area, searched various hotels, and safely located Jigneshbhai at one of them.
During interrogation, Jigneshbhai admitted that he had not been kidnapped. The investigation disclosed that he had lost between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 60 lakh in the stock market and options trading and was heavily in debt. He had staged the entire kidnapping drama to escape his financial crisis and extract a large sum of money from his family and relatives. He was the one who had created and sent the ransom messages and the video to his family. During the probe, the businessman was made to reenact how he filmed the video of himself tied up and helpless.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Lakhdhir Singh Jhala stated that the investigation revealed no involvement of any other person, confirming that Jigneshbhai had hatched the entire plot alone. The police have registered a case against him and initiated further legal proceedings.
