Crime
Misspelling “Deth” Instead of “Death” Leads to Criminals’ Arrest
Hardoi (UP): A poorly spelled ransom note led police to unravel a staged kidnapping, where a man attempted to extort Rs 50,000 from his elder brother, officials revealed on Wednesday.
The drama unfolded on January 5, when Sanjay Kumar, a contractor from Bandaraha village, reported receiving a chilling ransom note. The note, sent from an unknown number, demanded Rs 50,000 for the release of his 27-year-old brother, Sandeep, threatening his “deth” if the payment wasn’t made. Accompanying the note was a 13-second video showing Sandeep tied up with ropes.
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Superintendent of Police (SP) said the misspelling of “death” as “deth” raised suspicions about the perpetrator’s educational background. Adding to the intrigue, Sanjay had no known enemies, and the ransom amount seemed unusually modest for a genuine abduction.
Police traced Sandeep’s mobile phone location to Rupapur, where they found him safe. During questioning, Sandeep was asked to rewrite the ransom note, and once again, he misspelled “death” as “deth.”
Confronted with the evidence, Sandeep confessed to orchestrating the fake kidnapping.
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According to the SP, Sandeep admitted he was inspired by an episode of the popular crime series CID. Facing financial pressure after a recent accident in Sahabad, where his bike injured an elderly man, Sandeep needed money to pay compensation. Desperate, he devised the scheme to extract funds from his brother.
Sandeep, who works at a cane purchase center in Mirzapur, has since been arrested. The incident serves as a reminder that even the smallest details can unravel the most elaborate schemes.
