Fake Kidnapping

A 17-year-old in Siguatepeque, Comayagua, faked his abduction and sent his mother threatening videos demanding 15,000 lempiras (about $600) to recover a pawned motorcycle; he and his 17-year-old accomplice were detained on August 15 and referred to juvenile prosecutors.

A 27-year-old construction worker from Intibucá staged a fake abduction and demanded L1 million (about $40,000) from his employer and colleagues in Marcala, La Paz, but police found him unharmed on a coffee farm, where he admitted the scheme was meant to pay debts and avoid work.

A 36-year-old security supervisor in San Pedro Sula was found unharmed after police determined he had staged his own abduction and sent WhatsApp messages demanding one million lempiras (about $40,000) from his wife; he was taken to a police station and will be referred to prosecutors on a charge of simulating a nonexistent offense.

Police rescued a man who staged his own kidnapping after his family deposited 20,000 lempiras (about $800) of the 50,000 he demanded; officers found him unharmed with the withdrawal receipt and 19,800 lempiras in cash.

A 27-year-old woman in Comayagua was arrested for fabricating her own abduction in November 2025 and demanding $10,000 from relatives to pay off personal debts; police detected inconsistencies in her initial report.

José Enrique Amaya, 29, was arrested in Yoro after police discovered he had staged his own kidnapping using tomato paste to simulate wounds, demanding 600,000 lempiras (about $24,000) from his sister in the United States.

A 15-year-old from San Manuel, Cortés, who vanished on June 5 after delivering donuts, was located with her Salvadoran boyfriend; her family had received ransom demands for 1.5 million lempiras, but she later said she left voluntarily, and prosecutors declined to charge the boyfriend.