Bhubaneswar: A journalist and a serving woman sub-inspector were among four people arrested on Monday for allegedly kidnapping a Balangir businessman, confining him in a Bhubaneswar hotel, forcing him to record scripted videos and attempting to extort Rs 50 lakh by threatening to implicate him in criminal cases, police said.
The Balangir SP said the accused also allegedly attempted to misuse a police station to lend credibility to a fabricated assault case against the victim.
The arrested accused have been identified as Kshitish Chandra Sahu (50) of Bhubaneswar, Sanjit Behera of Balangir, journalist Sanjay Jena and SI Snehamanjari Sahu. Police said Snehamanjari is the sister of prime accused Kshitish.
Addressing a press conference, Balangir SP Abilash G said Narendra Sahu (52), alias Gunda Sahu, was abducted from Balangir on August 14. His mobile phone was switched off soon after the kidnapping, and he was taken to Bhubaneswar, where he was rescued by a police team on August 15.
According to police, the accused executed the crime after careful planning. While Narendra’s Maruti Jimny was driven towards Redhakhol and Anugola to mislead investigators, the kidnappers travelled in a Hector SUV via Daspalla Road and kept the victim confined in a hotel in Bhubaneswar.
Police alleged that the victim was threatened with a firearm and forced to repeatedly call his family, assuring them that he was safe and asking them not to lodge a police complaint. The SP said police have recovered recordings of those calls, which they believe were intended to delay police intervention.
The investigation took a dramatic turn after police recovered 12 videos from the mobile phone of prime accused Kshitish. The SP said Narendra was handed an unloaded pistol and forced to pose as though he had attacked the accused. In several videos, he was allegedly made to apologise and promise to return money purportedly owed to the accused.
“The videos were staged to create false evidence and to pressure the victim into paying money,” the SP said.
The SP claimed that the conspiracy extended to Khandagiri Police Station in Bhubaneswar. CCTV footage allegedly shows journalist Sanjay Jena waiting near the police station before receiving Narendra and escorting him inside. Though he is not a police officer, Jena allegedly introduced himself as one and lodged a complaint claiming that Narendra had assaulted him with a firearm.
The SP said the fabricated complaint formed part of a larger plan to extort Rs 50 lakh from the businessman. If he refused to pay, the accused allegedly intended to use the staged videos and criminal proceedings to coerce him.
The SP also accused SI Snehamanjari Sahu of misusing her official position by threatening to initiate criminal cases against Narendra in Bhubaneswar if he failed to meet the extortion demand. Her alleged involvement prompted her arrest.
The SP said forensic examination of the accused’s mobile phones revealed frequent communication between Kshitish, Snehamanjari and Sanjay Jena from August 13 onwards. Police believe the conspirators deliberately chose August 14 to execute the abduction, anticipating that police personnel would be occupied with Independence Day security arrangements.
All four accused were produced before a court on Monday.
Meanwhile, IG (Northern Range) Himanshu Kumar Lal said police are also investigating the alleged rare antique Hanuman coin transaction that the accused claim triggered the dispute.
According to police, Kshitish has claimed that he paid Narendra Rs 2.7 crore in 2020 for a rare Hanuman coin. However, investigators said they have found no documentary or financial evidence to substantiate the claim. They added that the statements of the accused and the victim are contradictory, and the alleged transaction remains under investigation.
