Makassar Student Arrested for Faking Own Kidnapping to Extort Parents

A university student in Makassar, identified by the initials EE (23), has been arrested by police after staging his own kidnapping and demanding a ransom of Rp90 million from his parents. The incident caused his parents to panic upon receiving news that their son had been abducted by unknown individuals.

‘Iya, pria yang mengaku diculik telah kita amankan (Yes, the man who claimed to be kidnapped has been detained),’ said AKP Sangkala, Head of the Violent Crimes Unit at the Makassar Police Criminal Investigation Department, on Thursday.

The case began when the perpetrator’s parents were unable to contact their son. Their concern escalated after they received a message from someone claiming to be holding EE captive over a debt issue, threatening to kill him if the Rp90 million was not provided. The parents subsequently reported the case to the police on Friday, 7 August.

Based on the investigation, police found no evidence of an actual confinement or kidnapping as reported by the parents. ‘After further investigation, it was discovered that the person making the threats, claiming the child was kidnapped, was the victim himself,’ Sangkala stated. ‘He created this whole scenario simply to obtain money from his parents.’

According to the suspect’s statement, he was driven to fabricate the kidnapping to support a hedonistic lifestyle. ‘His confession was to meet daily needs and a life of luxury, which led to the idea of extorting money from his parents by pretending to be kidnapped and held captive,’ Sangkala explained. The suspect is currently in custody and undergoing further investigation.