KOCHI: What began as a tense late-night alert about an alleged abduction quickly turned into a curious case of deception in Kochi after police scrutiny and CCTV footage revealed that the entire incident had been fabricated.
According to the police, a young woman in her 20s working at a firm in the city had reported that she was nearly abducted by a group in a white car while returning home after work on the night of March 11.
The alarm was first raised when her friend contacted the police control room, claiming that the woman had been forcibly taken in a vehicle. When police reached the spot, the woman told officers that a group had dragged her into a white car, harassed her inside the vehicle, and later abandoned her at a deserted location.
Taking the complaint seriously, police began checking CCTV cameras in the area to trace the alleged vehicle and the suspects. But the footage revealed no signs of the white car or any commotion that matched the woman’s version of events. Instead, the cameras showed the woman walking along the road with a man.
The unexpected twist raised suspicion among investigators, prompting them to question the woman again. Under detailed questioning, the dramatic kidnapping claim soon collapsed.
Sources said that the police found that after finishing work that evening, the woman had gone to meet another man with whom she was in a relationship. While the two were talking, she received a call from her fiancé, who lives abroad. During the call, the man beside her asked who she was speaking to, and his voice was heard by the caller.
When the fiancé questioned her about the voice, the woman reportedly panicked, fearing that her relationship with the other man could jeopardise the planned marriage. In an attempt to cover up the situation, she allegedly fabricated the story of an attempted abduction.
The plan, however, quickly unravelled once investigators examined CCTV footage. Police registered a case against the woman on Thursday for providing false information.