BHUBANESWAR: A 21-year-old kidnapped from the Capital on Monday for a ransom of Rs 30 lakh was rescued by Commissionerate Police on Wednesday.The youth Ishan Aggarwal was rescued from Rajsunakhala in Nayagarh district and four anti-socials allegedly behind the crime have been arrested. They were identified as Rama Krishna, Santosh Kumar Rout, Dhaneswar Patra and Md Mustaq Ali, all in their 20s.
Sources said that one of the accused might be known to the victim who is pursuing BBA in Bengaluru. The accused invited Ishan to have tea and took him in a car which did not have registration number. They threatened the victim at knife-point and sent his photograph on WhatsApp to his father Ram Aggarwal, a city-based businessman.The accused continued to communicate with Ishan’s father using his mobile phone. They then switched off the device and immediately changed their location.
In one of the telephonic conversations, the victim’s father could be heard pleading with the accused to give him some time to arrange the money amid the financial constraints due to the pandemic.The accused also warned Ram of dire consequences if he did not give them the money or informed the police about it. Sources said the culprits kept on moving with Ishan in Puri, Nayagarh and Ganjam districts and eventually agreed to accept a ransom of `5 lakh. They called Ishan’s father to 58 different locations in Bhubaneswar and other places before being caught in Nayagarh district possibly after the investigators tracked the victim’s mobile phone.
“The entire operation continued for 36 hours and the victim was rescued unharmed. His father did not have to pay a single penny to the kidnappers,” said Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash. Police are verifying the criminal antecedents of the accused and if any of their other associates were involved in the crime. Police have seized a four-wheeler, two knives and five mobile phones from the accused.