Mumbai:
When 16-year-old Masoud Mohammed staged his own kidnapping, he hoped it would fetch him enough money to buy a magical locket that would win back ladylove Tamanna.
Instead, he is now languishing at Dongri Remand Home after he and his friends were nabbed by the Anti-Extortion Cell.
Masoud is a member of a family in Mumbai whose only income comes from a small textile business that his mother runs with his brother-in-law. His father suffers from paralysis and is bed-ridden.
A year ago, Masoud fell in love with Tamanna, a girl from his college. When her mother found out, they broke up and Tamanna stopped talking to him. His friend, Mohammed Labeeb (19) told him of a magical locket that could be bought from Ajmer, Rajasthan, which would help him win Tamanna's love back. Masoud then stole his mother's gold bangle and gave it to Labeeb, who said he was able to sell it only for Rs 5000, while the locket would cost Rs 35,000 more.
Labeeb and Masoud, along with two of Masoud's friends Shakeel (17) and Hamid (18), planned to stage Masoud's kidnapping and blackmail his parents into paying Rs 10 lakh. Masoud left home on April 2, saying he was going to a friend's place to return some clothes. On April 5, the boys called Masoud's mother from his cellphone and threatened to kill him if the family did not pay up. The mother panicked and went to the police for help.
Based on Masoud's mother's complaint, the police tracked down his friend Shakeel, a Mumbra resident, who had been called from Masoud's cell phone. They interrogated him about Masoud's whereabouts. The anti-extortion cell then acted on the information obtained and caught the boys, where the entire plan came to light.
All four boys were then arrested and charged with Extortion under Section 386 of the Indian Penal Code and remanded to police custody. Masoud and Shakeel were dispatched to the Dongri Remand Home and Labeeb and Hamid are currently in police custody. "I just want to go back home and study so that I can be worthy of Tamanna one day," said a regretful Masoud.