Srinagar, Dec. 31: A teenager and his cousin were arrested for faking their own abduction and demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh from his parents.

The two dropped the plan and rang home to say they had been released after learning that police were on the case.

Ghulam Hassan Najar and his wife started worrying when their son Ahsan-ul Haq, a Class VIII student, did not return home on Thursday, December 27.

“At 9.30pm, Najar lodged a complaint with us saying he received a call that his son and nephew Jamsheed had been abducted,” Srinagar police chief Ahfad-ul Mujtaba said. “Najar said the abductors were seeking a ransom of Rs 5 lakh and had threatened to kill the boys if the police were informed.”

The police traced the call to an STD booth in Pampore, south Kashmir. The next day, the “abductors” made another threat call, this time from an Airtel number. “The family was extremely disturbed and started looking for the money,” a police officer said.

The Najars received a call late on Friday night from Ahsan. “Both Ahsan and his cousin said they had been released in a village in north Kashmir,” Mujtaba said.

The police sent a team early on Saturday and found the boys. “They told us they were abducted from Methan village on the outskirts of Srinagar and taken to an unknown location after being handcuffed and blindfolded,” Mujtaba said. “They were reportedly beaten and dropped at night in the village.”

But the cops smelt a rat. The boys had been released unharmed and no ransom had been paid.

When the boys were told to locate the place where they had been abducted, they took the police to two different locations. “This increased our suspicion. On questioning, Ahsan admitted that he had faked the abduction, knowing his father could do anything for him,” Mujtaba said.

The two had sought help from four youths, who helped them find a mobile and a vehicle. They have also been arrested.