A class 9 boy from Chennai allegedly staged his own kidnapping and demanded a ransom of Rs. 10 lakh from his father using a voice changer app on his mobile phone.

The boy's father, who is a resident of Triplicane, approached the Zam Bazaar police station and infomed them of the call. The police traced the boy's mobile number and located it near Chepauk. A police team was immediately dispatched to the spot, where they found the boy near the Chepauk Railway station. "On Wednesday evening, the boy called his father from his mobile phone and said that he was kidnapped by unknown men who are demanding Rs 10 lakh as ransom, and cut the call. Even after we rescued him, he kept saying that he was kidnapped. When we combed through the CCTV footage, it was found that the boy and his friend had reached the spot in an auto-rickshaw," a police officer reportedly said.

Upon inquiry, the autorickshaw driver allegedly said that the two boys had booked a ride through an online application from Ice House to Chepauk and that the boy's friend ran away when the driver asked them to pay for the ride. The 14-year-old boy finally confessed that he had staged his own kidnap. He was later let off by the police with a strict warning and a written statement from his parents.