A man in tried to immolate himself during a protest outside the district court on Monday, alleging police inaction on his complaint about his son having been kidnapped from Thailand and taken to Laos, the Hindustan Times reported.

The man, Karamveer, was stopped by pedestrians and journalists, after which the police arrived at the spot.

Karamveer, who hails from the Pratapgarh village in Yamunanagar, claimed that he had sent his son to Thailand for a job at a call centre, PTI reported. However, he alleged that his son was kidnapped from Thailand, and then taken to Laos, where he was forced to work in an illegal business.

The boy’s mother said that after he was taken to Laos, he was forced to hand over his passport to the agents who allegedly kidnapped him. He was allowed to leave only after the family paid over Rs 50,000 to the kidnappers, his parents told mediapersons.