This has got to be one of the worst clickbait headlines in HN history, and this is an achievement. This is what happened. Person A has his tesla serviced, tesla increases his range by mistake. Person A puts a wrong decal on the tesla and illegally and fraudulently sells it as a car with an increased range to person B. The car eventually gets to person C, who takes the tesla to service where they correct the mistake.

So sorry, there is no ransoming. Just a bit of old fashioned fraud, and not on the part of Tesla.