Two days after a kidnapping case of 20-year-old G Manikanta was reported in Vizag, the police suspect that the youth may have staged his own abduction for ransom money.
Manikanta is a second-year student of the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Pendhuri, and was living in Lakshmi Nagar in Gopalpuram, according to reports.
The New Indian Express reported that Manikanta left home on Monday evening, but did not return, following which his sister got a call on her cellphone from the 'kidnappers' on Tuesday morning.
The voice on the other end of the phone claimed that they had got a contract for Rs 10 lakh to kill Manikanta, but would let him go if they were paid Rs 15 lakh.
The ‘kidnapper’ also made the family listen to Manikanta’s voice, before telling them that he would call again in the evening, and tell them when and where to drop the ransom money.
Manikanta's parents filed a complaint with the Gopalpuram police on Tuesday evening, which set up several police teams to keep a lookout for the 20-year-old.
The police also tracked Manikanta’s phone from which the ransom call was made, and visited the area. They also checked CCTV footage, to establish what had happened during the call.
Quoting sources, The Hindu reported that it was Manikanta's friend who made the ransom call, and that Manikanta was steeped in vices.
The report adds that a police team tracked him down and have taken him into custody, but official confirmation is still awaited.
Manikanta’s father is a supervisor at Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone (VSEZ), police said.