Delhi mother receives call saying her son has been kidnapped, kidnapper demands Rs 40,000 for release, police track his UPI ID and rescue the boy within three hours

A 13-year-old boy who went out to buy groceries in northeast Delhi was allegedly kidnapped after being lured onto a scooter by a man who later demanded Rs 40,000 from the child's mother. Delhi Police rescued the boy within three hours by first transferring Rs 5,000 through the accused's UPI barcode to trace him and then sending another Rs 5,000 to lure him back to a cybercafe, where he was arrested.

The accused, identified as Akash, was caught in Karawal Nagar while collecting the ransom money in cash. Police recovered Rs 5,000 in cash, the mobile phone allegedly used to make the ransom call and the scooter allegedly used in the kidnapping.

Boy goes missing, mother receives Rs 40,000 ransom call

The incident came to light on October 30 when the boy left home to buy some items but did not return. His mother later approached Jyoti Nagar police station in Shahdara after being unable to locate him.


Soon afterwards, she received a phone call from an unidentified man demanding Rs 40,000 for her son's release.

Police registered a case and formed a team to trace the child and identify the caller.

First Rs 5,000 transfer leads police to cybercafe

During the investigation, the alleged kidnapper called the woman again and insisted that the ransom be sent through UPI. He shared a payment barcode for receiving the money.

Instead of sending the full amount, police transferred Rs 5,000 through the barcode using the account of a police personnel.

The transaction led investigators to a cybercafe in Karawal Nagar. The owner told police that a man accompanied by a minor boy had used his UPI barcode to receive Rs 5,000 in exchange for a commission of Rs 50.

Police then examined the cybercafe's CCTV footage, and the boy's mother identified her missing son in the footage.

Second Rs 5,000 transfer lures accused back

After confirming that the accused had used the cybercafe to collect the payment, police decided to use the same method again.

Investigators initiated another Rs 5,000 transfer through the same barcode to make the accused return to the cafe for another cash collection.

The accused returned to the cybercafe with the boy to collect the second payment in cash. Police personnel, with the assistance of the cafe owner, apprehended him at the spot and rescued the child safely.

The operation was completed within three hours of police receiving information about the kidnapping.

What police recovered

During interrogation, Akash told police that he worked as a delivery helper in Sadar Bazar and knew the victim through his cousin.

Police alleged that he had lured the boy onto his scooter before making the ransom call to the child's mother.

Officers recovered Rs 5,000 in cash, the mobile phone allegedly used to make the ransom call and the scooter allegedly used in the kidnapping. The cybercafe owner had received Rs 50 as commission for facilitating the transaction.

Police said the accused had no previous criminal involvement, and the rescued boy was reunited with his family.