Arunachal: Man allegedly fakes kidnapping, makes ransom calls to brother in Dubai

A man who went missing from Guwahati earlier this month was traced to Arunachal Pradesh’s Kra Daadi district after he allegedly staged his own kidnapping and made ransom calls to his brother in Dubai, police said on Wednesday.

The matter came to light after the man’s family filed a missing person report at Borghat Police Station in Assam’s Tezpur, stating that Pradeep Bhattarai had gone missing from Guwahati on August 2.

According to Kra Daadi Superintendent of Police Sepraj Perme, Bhattarai’s brother, who works in Dubai, received ransom calls from an unknown number on August 14 and 15. The caller allegedly claimed that Bhattarai had been kidnapped and demanded money through UPI for his release.

Technical surveillance of the calls traced their origin to the Palin township area in Kra Daadi district. Acting on the information, Palin Police Station, led by Sub-Inspector Kaling Pait, conducted a recce and identified a construction site where Bhattarai was working.

Police raided the site on August 16 and recovered Bhattarai along with Lucky Kanta Payang, both of whom were working as construction labourers there.

During interrogation, Bhattarai allegedly told police that he had travelled from Guwahati to Naharlagun by train on August 8 after learning about construction work in Kra Daadi. He subsequently reached Palin on August 10.

Police said Bhattarai used Payang’s mobile phone to make the ransom calls to his brother. He allegedly disguised his voice and falsely claimed that he had been kidnapped in an attempt to obtain money.

The case was registered as MMR-63/2026 at Borghat Police Station in Tezpur. Following completion of the required legal formalities, both men were handed over to a team from Borghat Police Station on August 17.

Police have advised the public to verify claims of kidnapping or other emergencies before transferring money in response to ransom demands.