Woman Fakes Her Own Kidnapping Through Viral Facebook Posts, Gets Arrested

A 28-year-old woman who posted about an alleged hijacking on Facebook has been arrested after confessing to fabricating the incident.

Simphiwe Manzini Mntimande of Gauteng in South Africa posted a desperate plea on the social media platform Wednesday night claiming that she had been kidnapped and forced into the boot of her Toyota Corolla during a "hijacking," reports Times Live.

"I just been hijacked. I’m in the boot of my car. They took my other phone thinking I have one. I’ll update you till I’m no more… (sic)," her first post read. She also tagged her location.

The post went viral in no time, and #FindSimphiwe began to trend on social media platforms. Thousands of people, including several prominent personalities, shared her post urging police to rescue her immediately.

More terrifying updates came from Mntimande in which she claimed that she was on the verge of being raped and also gave a location including her car’s number plate. In one post, she said: "The car has stopped they fighting in on who is going to have sex with me… (sic)."

"FL 40 XL GP my number plate… if I die," she said in another post.

Soon, Gauteng police activated a search party. According to Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, “maximum resources” were mobilized to track the vehicle and find the alleged victim, reported IOL.

However, the woman posted a video Thursday morning and claimed she was safe. "Hello South Africa, I won’t be long. I am Simphiwe Manzini, I just wanted to let you all know that I am safe. Physically I am okay, but emotionally I am not okay, I just want to let you know that I am safe and I can’t say where I am right now, but I am okay. “Thank you for your prayers and everything you did to try and find where I am, thank you very much," she said.

The woman added she had a few scratches and slammed the police on social media. "SAPS is nonsense. I could have lost my life today," her post read.

She later approached the police to file a complaint. However, Gauteng police found details about the incidents sketchy and were suspicious as she arrived at the police station in the "hijacked" car.

"It emerged on a further probe that the said hijacking and kidnapping report was false and this was subsequently corroborated by the woman's confession that she was never kidnapped," said Gauteng police spokesperson Capt Mavela Masondo.

The woman was then arrested and charged with perjury, defeating the ends of justice and fraud. “Police confiscated the car of the suspect that she alleged was hijacked and her two cellphones, including the one she claimed was taken by the 'hijackers,'” Masondo said.

The woman was expected to appear before the Protea magistrate's court Friday.