(From top) Deputy SP, Patna City, Sushil Kumar, SP, Patna East, Kim, and SSP Alok Kumar address reporters in Patna on Saturday. On the right is a still from a Hindi soap which the boys confessed to have lifted the plot from. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Aug. 13: An 18-year-old engineering student was arrested today along with his friend for plotting his own abduction in a bid to extort money from his father.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Alok Kumar said the teenager had confessed in the course of grilling that a daily soap on a Hindi entertainment channel inspired him to plot the crime.

“Varun Raj, a resident of Agamkuan, has been arrested for plotting his own kidnapping after being inspired by a television serial, Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya. One of his friends, Vicky Kumar, has also been arrested for helping him,” said the SSP.

Elaborating on the modus operandi, the SSP said: “Dhirendra Kumar, the father of Varun, is an advocate and a resident of Gandhi Nagar. He lodged a complaint with Agamkuan police station yesterday that his son had been kidnapped on August 11 and he had received a call on his mobile demanding ransom for his safe release. I directed Kim, the city superintendent of police (east) and Sushil Kumar, deputy superintendent of police (Patna City) to form a investigative team to probe the matter.

The team raided various places and put the mobile number from which the ransom call was made under surveillance. The police tracked down the mobile signal and arrested the duo from Palika hotel on Station Road. Varun had instructed Dhirendra to drop Rs 1.5 lakh at a particular location in Hajipur but they could not succeed in their ploy.”

Detailing the abduction plan, the SSP said: “On August 11, Varun and his friend, Vicky, plotted the abduction. Around 10 the same night, Varun called up Dhirendra from hotel room number 403 of Palika hotel and threatened his son would be killed unless he delivered the ransom.”

Police seized two mobiles and four SIM cards from their possession. The register of the hotel has been seized for investigation purposes. The SSP also said a dozen police officials helped crack this case within 12 hours, prompting the police department to announce a reward of Rs 2,000 for each.