Bhubaneswar: With the arrest of a lady journalist who worked for a web channel and four others in connection with abducting a mining businessman and his associate, police have revealed the entire plot.
According to Commissionerate Police-Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash, Purnachandra Sahu from Kendrapara and Bhigunath Singh from Asansol in West Bengal ran a business of engaging vehicles in mines of Barbil if Keonjhar district. Due to some reasons, Bhigunath had enmity with Raghunath Sahu alias Raj, who is the CEO of the web channel where the lady journalist worked.
Raghunath had made a plan to teach him a lesson. Bhigunath and Purnachandra visited Bhubaneswar to arrange finance for their business August 5. Somehow, Raj came to know about their Bhubaneswar visit. He called Bhigunath over the phone to inform that he has acquaintance with a Bhubaneswar based gold trader and that he would arrange finances up to Rs 50 lakh.
Unaware about Raj’s plan, Bhigunath and Purnachandra reached a place decided earlier. Raj and his associates overpowered them and led them to a house where they were kept captive. They demanded Rs 10 lakh for their release.
Later, Raj forcibly took away Rs 30,000 from them and tortured them physically. With no option left, Bhigunath asked his wife to deposit Rs 28,000 in Raj’s account.
The person who had introduced Bhigunath with Raj reached the spot August 7. He said he would inform the police that Raj released them.
Upon their release, Bhigunath went straight to his house in Asansol as his father’s health condition was serious and Purnachandra went to his house. After receiving treatment for the injuries Raj and his associates inflicted on him, Purnachandra lodged an FIR at Nandankanan police station August 27.
Acting on the complaint, police teams from Chandrasekharpur, Chandaka, Infosys and Nandankanan police stations under the guidance of ACP Prakash Chandra Pal conducted a raid at the web channel office the same night.
While Raj managed to give the cops a slip, his five associates were nabbed and were later arrested.
The captors confessed to have tortured Bhigunath and Purnachandra at the web channel office. They would ask them to dance before them with no clothes on. Whenever they refused to obey, the inflictors would pour liquor on them; thrash them with iron rods and belts, a source said.
The police seized a pistol, swords, knives, clubs, seven computers, two cash counting machines, two cameras, pen drives, five mobile phones, bank passbooks, cheque books and some other articles from the office and sealed the place.
PNN