Police on Tuesday apprehended an 18-year-old boy from Cooch Behar town who allegedly faked his abduction in bid to extort money from his father.

The police have handed over the first-year college student to his parents.

According to police sources, the boy — son of a cloth merchant dwelling in Maghpala — had fled his home on March 25.

“The father told us that the boy had called him and informed that he had been abducted and the abductors are demanding a ransom for his release. The father without delay transferred Rs 20,000 to his son’s bank account. Even then, the boy kept calling his father and demanded for more cash,” said a police officer.

The police initiated a probe following a complaint lodged by the boy’s father and found that the boy was roaming around on his motorcycle in the town. “He had tried to check into some of the hotels in the town but as none of the hotels allowed him to check in,” said the officer.

“We started tracking his cell phone and around noon on Tuesday, we traced him near a local bus terminus in Cooch Behar. Soon, a police team went there and brought him to Kotwali police station. Also, we informed his parents,” the officer added.

As the police spoke to the boy, he admitted that he had faked the abduction to draw money from his father. “The boy claimed that he had borrowed money from his friends to play some online games. As he could not repay them, he hatched the plan to make his father pay him. As he could not stay in any hotel here, he went to Siliguri. Over the past few days, he used to visit Cooch Behar every day and then return to Siliguri to spend the night,” mentioned the officer.

The boy has been been handed over to his parents.

According to the police sources, the boy appeared to be in mentally distressed condition. “We have advised the parents to consult a doctor,” said a source.