Bhubaneswar: The Mancheswar police on Wednesday detained four persons in connection with the kidnapping of an 11-month-old boy from the Patia area in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday night after the baby was rescued from an area under their jurisdiction.
Early reports said that four unidentified miscreants snatched the baby from his father’s arms on Tuesday afternoon while the latter was shopping at the Patia Station Bazar and fled from the scene in a car.
Dismissing that report, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh on Wednesday told the media that the kidnapping of the child was staged by his father Subhrat Shetty, and his three accomplices namely Bishnu Prusty, Sharat Mohanty, and Brajkishore Nag. All the four have been detained by Mancheswar police for interrogation.
The DCP said that the matter was cleared after the baby’s mother Shantilata filed a complaint at the Mancheswar police regarding the kidnapping incident and the police started investigating the complaint. During interrogation, Subhrat revealed Shantilata, who was earlier married to one Bishnu Prusty, and he did not share a good relationship. They often fought over different issues.
In the meantime, when Bishnu wanted to take his wife back, Subhrat readily agreed. The two hatched a conspiracy to abduct the infant and force Shantilata to return to her first husband. The child would be handed over to Bishnu’s childless colleague Sharat Mohanty.
Accordingly, Sharat’s friend Brajkishore Nag arranged for a car and together they staged the kidnap drama last night. After the kidnapping, Brajkishore first took the baby to some place in Cuttack and then returned to Mancheswar. The police rescued the child from Mancheswar acting on Subhrat’s revelation.
DCP Prateek Singh said that when the police interrogated Subhrat they found discrepancies in his statement. Later, under pressure, Subhrat revealed their plans.
One by one all the other players were picked up from their homes and interrogated by the police. All admitted their involvement in the ‘staged’ kidnapping. Currently, all four men have been detained by the Mancheswar police, while the baby has been returned to his mother Shantilata.
