16 April Malaysia: When a mother of four received a telephone call from a stranger on Tuesday claiming her children had been abducted, she nearly fainted.
The caller demanded RM100,000 ransom and the woman became frantic as she did not know how to raise the money.

But the 37-year-old soon gathered her wits about her and went to the schools where her children, aged between 12 and 16, were studying and found that all were safe and sound.

Relieved, she lodged a report at the district police station.

State Criminal Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner T. Narenasa-garan said the woman was working at a daycare centre in Jalan Haji Ahmad when she received the call about noon on Tuesday.
He said the woman told police she did not recognise the caller's voice, adding that when she told the caller she only had RM10,000, the man suggested she borrow money from her friends.

"He then told her where they were supposed to meet before hanging up."

Several reports have been published in newspapers recently on the use of tactics by syndicates.

The callers would claim the children of their intended victim had been abducted and demand ransoms, even though no kidnappings had taken place.