Police in Coolidge, Arizona found 19-year-old Brandon Soules with his hands bound behind his back and a bandanna stuffed in his mouth.

He told officers that he had been knocked unconscious by two masked men who drove him around before leaving him.

However, police said in a statement: “An extensive investigation was conducted by Coolidge detectives and evidence was discovered showing his story was fabricated and no kidnapping or assault occurred.”

Mr Soules was arrested on suspicion of filing a false report and “admitted during an interview that he made up the story as an excuse to get out of work”, police said.