A student who allegedly staged his kidnapping to extort money from his family, along with his two accomplices, was arrested by police on Wednesday in Shahjahanpur, officials said.

Superintendent of Police Rajesh S said that Sanjeev Tyagi, a 22-year-old BBA student from Katra town, left home last Monday, claiming he was going to Bareilly to collect his mark sheet. However, he did not return home by late evening.

Later that night, Sanjeev's mother received a WhatsApp call demanding a ransom of Rs 2 lakh for his release. The caller threatened to kill her son if the money was not paid.

The panic-stricken family immediately approached the police, Rajesh said.

Following the complaint, a police team was formed, and Sanjeev's family was directed to take the ransom money to a location near the Bahgul River, as instructed by the alleged kidnappers.

When two men, identified as Mangesh Kumar and Gurusan Singh, arrived to collect the money, the police apprehended them, he added.

During interrogation, the arrested individuals revealed that they were Sanjeev's friends and that he had orchestrated his own kidnapping. Sanjeev had planned to use the ransom money to meet his personal needs, Rajesh said.

The SP said Sanjeev and his accomplices Mangesh and Gurusan have been arrested and sent to jail.

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