College girl stages abduction to get IPhone from family

Police have arrested a college girl and her two classmates, including a boy, for staging a drama of abduction and gang-rape to collect money from her family to purchase an iPhone in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj district.

The mastermind of the incident Mahiya Akhter was working on the ideas for several days as her family refused to give her money for the mobile phone, police said.

Her arrested classmates are Sifat Mia and Cynthia Akhter. All three are intermediate students of local Government Murapara College in Commerce Group.

Officer-in-charge of Rupganj police station Tarikul Islam disclosed it at a press briefing at the police station on Thursday.

On Wednesday, rumours spread on social media that a female student of the Murapara College had been abducted and gang-raped. Her family even filed an abduction case with the police.

Police began investigation into the incident with the help of technology and detected the plot staged for purchasing the mobile phone, the OC said.

As per the plan, Mahiya had left home Tuesday morning telling her family that she was going to college.

Later, her classmate Sifat called her mother pretending to be a kidnapper and demanded Tk 100,000 as ransom, threatening to rape her if the money wasn’t paid, said the OC.

Mahiya reportedly took shelter at Cynthia’s house on Wednesday. When the ransom was not paid, she drank cough syrup to appear unconscious and lay behind her college as part of the act.

Sifat then called her mother again, claiming they had left her daughter behind as the ransom wasn’t paid.

Police later rescued Mahiya and first took her to Rupganj Upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Narayanganj for further medical tests, he said.

Police said further interrogation is ongoing and legal steps are underway, added the OC.