A married woman identified as Oluchi was discovered by Delta State Police Command operatives in a hotel after she faked her own abduction. The suspect had demanded a ransom of N50 million from her family for her release, claiming she had been kidnapped.
Her children initially stated that the kidnappers had reduced the ransom to N20 million, pleading with the public for help to raise the money. They reported that their mother was abducted in the Ikpoba Hill area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in Edo State.
Police Investigation Leads to Hotel
According to The Punch, the police investigation led a crack team to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State, where the supposedly kidnapped woman was found with her lover. A source revealed that the woman begged her husband not to disclose the truth to their children.
"Police traced the number of the man to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State. They met the man and the kidnapped woman inside a hotel. They called the husband, and he was happy. It was at the station that the police broke the news to him. The wife begged the husband not to tell her children what actually transpired," the source said.
Daughter Expresses Disappointment
The woman's daughter, Anita, who resides in Canada, expressed her disappointment in her mother's actions. In an online video, she disclosed that her mother had been released and was involved in the kidnapping case.
"We were called that my mum has been released. We didn't pay the kidnappers. The money is intact. We are going to make a refund. We involved the Police from the beginning. We now know it was not a real kidnapping. They said my mom is involved. They are having a relationship. The guy was traced. They had agreed to take what we already raised to N20m," Anita said.
Similar Fake Kidnapping Cases
In a related incident, four individuals, including a man, his wife, girlfriend, and her younger sister, carried out a failed kidnapping scheme to extort N5 million from the girl's father. The FCT Police Command arrested them and uncovered that they had faked the kidnapping of the teenage girl and demanded ransom.
Additionally, the Lagos State Police Command uncovered a staged kidnapping scheme where a boy conspired with four accomplices to extort ransom from his own mother. Police traced the ransom payment through a POS transaction, leading to the arrest of all five suspects.
