A Georgia Gwinnett College student couldn't bear to tell his parents he was flunking English --- for a second time --- so he faked his own kidnapping, Johns Creek police allege.
Now Aftab Aslam, 19, could be facing a hard lesson in crime and punishment.
On Thursday, Aslam turned himself in to police who charged him with a misdemeanor count of false report of a crime, three felony counts of false statements, three felony counts of tampering with evidence and three felony counts of terroristic threats.
On April 27, Aslam's parents reported him missing after they received a text message saying their son had been kidnapped and warning them not to call police or he would be killed, police said.
Eight days later, Aslam turned up at home unharmed. After telling police he had been drugged and held prisoner, he later recanted, admitting he left home on his own and camped in an undeveloped area of Forsyth County until the weather turned cold and rainy, Johns Creek police spokesman Doug Nurse said.
The Johns Creek Police Department, the FBI and the GBI investigated the incident and found the phone used to send the text near Aslam's home. Investigators determined that Aslam had bought the phone a few days earlier at a local Target, Nurse said.
Copyright 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
