Kidnapping

I found a small news item about an "amateur" abduction in Chiba. A 17-year old woman was abducted by a group of three other women in their 20's. They called the victim's family for a ransom of only JPY1m. The Police found them in a family restaurant in Saitama, and arrested all 3. The victim was safely returned home.
Don't you think this is weird? Who would kidnap someone, hide out at the local Denny's, and ask for a ransom of only JPY1m?! Amazingly, the 3 called the woman's family and told them to bring the money directly to the restaurant where they were drinking coffee. Don't they watch TV? Just following a good movie plot, they could have done better.
Apparently, the core of the plot was that the victim and one of the 3 had the same boyfriend... Ok, so now I understand, they really did follow a TV plot -- one of those flamboyant, tragic Venezuelan soap operas. Okashii ne?