Ranga Reddy, October 14: In order to extort Rs 3 lakh from his parents, a 16-year-old boy staged a kidnap drama after they took his phone. The boy, who is a resident of Puppalaguda village in Telangana's Ranga Reddy district, had been preparing for the IIT entrance exam. While the minor was reported to be a bright student, his scores had been falling for the last few months, since he became addictive to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG, Deccan Chronicle reported.

Concerned over his poor grades, his mother took away his smartphone. On October 11, the minor left home on the pretext of meeting a friend and did not return. Reportedly, the boy changed his voice and called his mother from a passerby's phone and said that her son has been kidnapped. He also demanded a ransom of Rs 3 lakh. PUBG Addiction: Denied New Mobile for Playing the Game, Mumbai Boy Commits Suicide.

A day later, the minor booked a ticket to Macherla in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, where his grandparents live. Upon receiving a message of booked tickets on the mother's phone, the cops rushed and rescued the boy, the report said.

"The boy was depressed and undergoing what looked like a withdrawal symptom. He was traced to MGBS at around 5 pm on Saturday and was handed over to his parents and advised to provide counselling, a police inspector told Deccan Chronicle.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 14, 2019 12:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).