The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two individuals for allegedly staging a fake kidnap incident in a failed attempt to extort money from the family of one of the suspects.
The suspects, identified as Chinecherem Nwaokoye, a 28-year-old female student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), and her 30-year-old male accomplice, Chinecherem Aronu, were apprehended by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) following an intelligence-led investigation.
According to police reports, Nwaokoye had contacted her family on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, informing them of her return from school. However, she failed to arrive home, and her phone remained switched off.
The next day, her family received a ransom call from an unknown male voice who claimed she had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of ₦10 million. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to ₦3 million, and ₦1 million was paid into Nwaokoye’s personal bank account.
Acting on credible intelligence, officers traced the supposed victim to a lodge near the UNIZIK Temporary Site in Awka, where she was found alive and in the company of Aronu.
Upon interrogation, both suspects confessed to orchestrating the fake abduction to defraud Nwaokoye’s family. She reportedly admitted to being inspired by a movie and had planned to use the proceeds to help her boyfriend start a business.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc, MNIPS, PhD, ordered the immediate prosecution of the suspects and condemned the act as a reflection of the growing moral decay in society.
He stressed that the police would not tolerate such criminal deception and called on parents and guardians to be more vigilant regarding the activities and influences surrounding their children.
Police authorities reaffirmed their commitment to upholding public safety and warned that anyone found engaging in fraudulent acts would be made to face the full weight of the law.
