Four young men in Uttar Pradesh were arrested for staging a fake kidnapping in broad daylight to create a viral social media video. The incident occurred in Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar, where the group had tried to shoot a sensational reel mimicking the scenes from media.
The drama started at a local street food stall, where one of the men was eating chaat. Two others approached on a motorcycle, covering the victim's face with a cloth and pretending to sedate him before forcibly placing him on their bike. Another accomplice, who filmed the whole act, was hoping it would go viral, but this alarming scene was caught on camera.
But as the staged kidnapping played out, bystanders moved in, blocking the escape route and demanding to know what was going on. The twist of irony is, soon enough, the perpetrators revealed that it was all an act for social media, laughing and pointing to the camera while explaining to the crowd what they were up to. Later, they edited the footage and added music from the popular series 'Mirzapur', and uploaded the video online where it became viral.
But the prank went from light hearted to serious when local authorities noticed the video circulating on social media. Residents panicked when they saw the video and identified and arrested those involved, the police said. Police officials said that a video went viral today of three boys filming a fake kidnapping in Khatauli town and they are committed to public safety.
The group’s reckless behavior has been met with overwhelming negative public reaction and many users on social media have been outraged. Some comments were sarcastic, others were calls for stiffer punishment for such irresponsible actions.
