2 weeks ago
Police Officer, Journalist Among Four Held in Odisha Kidnapping
Police say a 62-year-old hotel owner named Narendra Sahu was taken from Bolangir to Bhubaneswar.
This allegedly happened on August 14 after he was threatened with a gun.
Police say he was tied up, hurt and kept in a hotel.
The people involved allegedly made him hold a pistol and recorded a video.
They reportedly used the video to demand Rs 50 lakh from him.
Police rescued Sahu the next day after his family reported him missing.
Four people, including a police officer and a journalist, were arrested.
The case may be connected to an argument about a rare old coin called a Hanuman Paisa.
One accused said he paid Rs 2.7 crore for the coin, but Sahu denied receiving the money or making the deal.
Hotelier Narendra Sahu, 62, was allegedly abducted at gunpoint from Bolangir on August 14 and taken to Bhubaneswar.
Police said Sahu was assaulted, confined in a hotel and forced to pose with a pistol as if he had kidnapped Kshitish Chandra Sahu.
The alleged kidnappers recorded the incident and used it to demand a ransom of Rs 50 lakh, police said.
A police sub-inspector, journalist and two other men were arrested after police rescued Sahu on August 15.
Police linked the case to a disputed antique ‘Hanuman Paisa’ transaction involving an alleged Rs 2.7 crore payment, which Sahu denies.
- Who
- Hotelier Narendra Sahu was the alleged victim. Four people arrested include Kshitish Chandra Sahu, police sub-inspector Snehamanjari Sahu, journalist Sanjay Jena and Sanjiv Behera.
- What
- Police allege that Narendra Sahu was kidnapped, assaulted, confined and blackmailed in a scheme to demand Rs 50 lakh.
- Where
- Sahu was allegedly taken from Bolangir district to a hotel in the Khandagiri police station area of Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
- When
- The alleged abduction occurred on August 14; Sahu was rescued and four arrests followed on August 15. The arrests were reported on August 17.
- Why
- Police said the alleged kidnapping was planned to extort Rs 50 lakh. Investigators also linked it to a disputed antique ‘Hanuman Paisa’ transaction.
Police and accused’s account
Victim’s position
Purpose of the alleged kidnapping
Police and accused’s account
Police said the group planned to extort Rs 50 lakh and allegedly threatened Sahu with a fake criminal case if he did not pay within 24 hours.
Victim’s position
Sahu’s account, as reported by police, rejects the alleged debt and the accusation connected to the coin transaction.
Antique ‘Hanuman Paisa’ transaction
Police and accused’s account
Kshitish Chandra Sahu told police that he paid about Rs 2.7 crore to Narendra Sahu in 2020 for the rare coin but received neither the coin nor a refund.
Victim’s position
Narendra Sahu denied that allegation, and police said they were investigating the disputed transaction.
Key facts
- Victim
- Narendra Sahu, 62, a hotelier
- Alleged abduction
- August 14, from Bolangir to Bhubaneswar
- Rescue
- August 15, after a missing-person complaint
- Ransom demand
- Rs 50 lakh
- Arrests
- Four people, including a police sub-inspector and a journalist
- Police allegation
- Sahu was assaulted, confined and forced to pose with a pistol
- Disputed coin claim
- Kshitish Chandra Sahu claimed he paid around Rs 2.7 crore in 2020 for a ‘Hanuman Paisa’; Narendra Sahu denied the allegation
Quotes
Bolangir SP Abhilash G
Station Superintendent in Bolangir
“"The accused SI threatened the victim to register a fake criminal case against him if he fails to pay Rs 50 lakh within 24 hours," he said.”
theprint.in
NDTV
thehansindia.com
Sources
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