The alleged kidnapping of an 18-year-old university student in Bayamo, Granma province, was a staged scheme to extract money from her own family, as confirmed this Sunday by the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), following an investigation into a case that had raised concern on social media.
The information was released by CNC TV Granma, which shared an official statement from MININT in which the authorities identified the young woman as Amanda Kamila Pérez Casal, a first-year Agronomy student at the University Campus II in Bayamo.
According to the statement, the investigation began as a reported absence from home and revealed that the young woman had planned, along with two other individuals, to financially extort her family.
The agency stated that Amanda confessed to her involvement in the plan and identified the other two direct accomplices. The authorities did not provide details about the identities of those individuals or the money they intended to obtain.
The MININT reported that those responsible are being prosecuted for simulating crimes, in accordance with the provisions of the Cuban Penal Code.
The statement does not specify the individual legal status of those involved or whether they are in detention.
The institution also assured that it will maintain strictness regarding this type of conduct, in order to ensure public peace and safety.
The case began to circulate publicly at the end of October, after Amanda's disappearance was reported.
On November 2, a large police operation was launched in the Viviendas Campesinas neighborhood, in Bayamo, involving agents from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), special forces, and officials from MININT.
During that search, independent sources reported that the alleged kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $2,000 and that phone calls had been made to the family.
Those versions circulated before the results of the investigation were made known, and the official statement does not confirm those details.
On November 3rd, Amanda was found alive, and rumors of an alleged self-kidnapping began to circulate, attributed to sources linked to MININT.
Until then, no institutional communication had been published to formally confirm that conclusion.
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