The girl's father, who registered a police complaint, told the cops that his daughter went for classes in the evening, after which he received the message
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A 17-year-old girl cooked up her own kidnapping story after she failed in her mid-term Class XII examinations, a report in this paper said. Worried about getting scolded by her father after her results were out, she sent an audio message on her father's Whatsapp saying that she has been kidnapped by a few people who will kill her.
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The girl's father, who registered a police complaint, told the cops that his daughter went for classes in the evening, after which he received the message.
Teams were formed to trace the girl, she was tracked to Vasai and brought back to a police station where she confessed to cooking up the story. We have seen several youngsters and some elders too cooking up tales either to escape consequences or to take revenge on somebody.
Youngsters need to be taught that they must have the courage to face the repercussions of their actions, whatever that might be. False stories about being victims of crimes are a waste of time for a scarce resource which is our police. They cause intense agony for the family at first, which can turn to anger and embarrassment. It is also a matter of shame for the person who perpetuated this false narrative in the first place.
Most of all though, it can also throw a shadow of doubt on other credible claims and stories, which is very unfortunate for those who really suffer.
Parents must introspect whether their reactions are making their children lie because they are so scared. Hold a dialogue with your children telling them the truth is always preferable than hiding behind a web of lies. Do not cook up, fess up and see how you can do better and not repeat the same in the future, should be the message.
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