'Car boot selfie' foils son's kidnapping hoax to make parents pay off loan shark debt

 

A 28-year-old Grab driver’s attempt to convince his parents that he had been kidnapped so they would pay off his RM30,000 debt to loan sharks was foiled by an unlikely giveaway.

Acting on police advice, the man’s father asked the alleged “kidnappers” for proof that his son was still alive. They responded with a photograph showing the man lying inside the boot of a car.

But instead of convincing police, the image raised suspicion.

“Police immediately suspected that the photograph was fake because it resembled a selfie rather than a genuine hostage photograph.

“Police then tracked the mobile phone and found the man hiding in a budget hotel,” MCA public services and complaints department head Michael Chong was quoted as saying by The Star.

MCA public services and complaints department head Michael Chong

The ruse began on July 25 when the man’s mother received a call from his mobile phone. The caller claimed to be a loan shark and demanded RM30,000 for his release.

“The man’s father later managed to contact his son, who claimed he had been kidnapped, threatened with a knife held to his neck, and would be killed if the ransom was not paid.

“The family then lodged a police report before being referred to the Selayang district police headquarters,” he said.

Chong said that while at the police station, the father continued receiving calls from the alleged kidnappers.

Tens of thousands in debt

According to police investigations, the man claimed the loan sharks had taught him how to stage the kidnapping to pressure his parents.

The man has since been charged under Section 385 of the Penal Code for extortion and Section 417 of the Penal Code for cheating.

According to Chong, the Grab driver had already accumulated RM45,000 in debt with loan sharks, which his father paid off in early May.

“At the time, he promised his father that he would never borrow from loan sharks again.

“However, by the end of June, he is believed to have borrowed money from loan sharks again, with his debts estimated at RM40,000 based on police investigations,” he added. - Mkini