In that little dark diary of secrets, when the worst is around, we’ve all secretly wished to get kidnapped by our loved ones with no intervention from outsiders. In a bizarre case of self-kidnapping, one Australian man thought he'd get away with what he planned for his New Year's eve. Unfortunately, his plan crashed and burned when the New South Wales Police got involved in the hoax kidnapping plot created by Paul Iera. According to Daily Mail​, Iera orchestrated the elaborate lie because he wanted to spend the night of New Year’s eve with his lover away from his girlfriend.

The 35-year-old man decided to play a little game behind his girlfriend's back. Iera's scheme crumbled when his girlfriend informed the police and the lie was caught. Iera was charged with "make false accusation with intent subject other to investigation, and false representation resulting in police investigation." The case became a sensation when the police held him accountable for the wastage of revenue spent on the investigation of his fake abduction.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kate McKinley from New South Wales Police told Wollongong Local Court that "the investigation into Iera’s alleged kidnapping and abduction cost them and the state’s government more than AU $25,000 ( approximately $17,000), never mind wasting between 100 and 200 hours of police working time."

According to the reports of the police, Iera left his house before midnight on December 31, informing his girlfriend that he was meeting his "financial guy." However, not long after, his girlfriend received a text from an alleged sex worker reading: "[Partner] it's '[name]' thank you for sending Paul to me, now payback is a b**** bye-bye." Confirming that Iera was in their custody, the text added: "But I'm going to be fare [sic] OK, we will keep him with us until the morning wen [sic] he gives us his bike we call it square, no one's touching him my word I'll give you hun OK." The message scared Iera's partner—who believed the sex worker was holding him hostage over a $7000 dirt bike—and provoked her to get in touch with the police immediately.

The court was also informed that Iera called his dad on New Year's Day and told him that he'd been kidnapped the previous night but was now back in Wollongong and being dropped back at his car by the kidnappers. The call proved to be his unraveling as cell tower data placed him in the Dapto area. Examination of CCTV footage from the locality showed Iera and his lover getting into her vehicle at her home in Dombarton, a few minutes after he called his father. They also showed him arriving at the residence the previous day—wearing a basketball singlet and carrying his phone and an overnight bag—around the time his partner got the texts from his "kidnapper."

"It was established the man allegedly made up the story about his own kidnapping," NSW Police said, telling the court that no vehicle matching Iera's description of the alleged kidnappers' vehicle was found during the intensive search. Although Magistrate Chris McRobert described the case as 'quite bizarre,' he granted Iera bail. He has been ordered to report to the police daily and appear in court later this month for further proceedings.