Pulwama: Two minor girls from Ratnipora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir faked a kidnapping story just to avoid going to school, police said on Thursday.
On April 7, police station Pulwama received a written complaint from Bilal Ahmad Ganaie, a resident of Ratnipora, stating that an unknown Alto driver (vehicle number JK01AB-2069) had forcibly taken his daughter and her classmate into the car while they were on their way to school around 9:30 am.
Following the complaint, police registered FIR No. 91/2025 under section 137(2) BNS and started investigation.
During the probe, statements of the parents and both minor girls were recorded before the Child Welfare Committee and in court, where they admitted that no one had kidnapped them. They said they had walked from Ratnipora to Nadoo on their own.
CCTV footage from the area was also checked, which clearly showed that no vehicle had picked them up and there was no kidnapping. The girls later said they had made up the story to avoid going to school, which was also confirmed by their parents.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pulwama, PD Nitya, said that the matter was resolved within two days after proper counselling. She said the man with the car was simply standing in the area, and the girls had allegedly clicked his photo and wrongly accused him. She said that no such incident had taken place.
The officer urged news websites and social media pages , especially those reporting news, to verify facts before posting. “It’s a shame, and focus should be on correct and honest journalism,” she said.
She said one social media page that carried the news didn’t even contact the police or take any official quote. “It was a one-sided story with no investigation or effort to verify the claims. This puts journalism at risk and sends the wrong message. Media is meant to be trusted, but if such things continue, people will stop believing the news,” she said.
