ROURKELA: A businessman was kidnapped from near his stone crusher unit at Bijabahal in Kuanrmunda within Birmitrapur police limits here on Saturday night.He was identified as 45-year-old Pradeep Kundu. On Sunday morning, police recovered his vehicle with keys parked near the crusher unit.
Pradeep, a resident of the posh Civil Township locality of Rourkela, owns two stone crusher units at Bijabhal. He had went to one of his units to make weekly payment to labourers. Sources said some of his workers had last seen him standing on the road and talking over phone.
After he did not return home in the night, Pradeep’s family members, sensing foul play, informed Kuanrmunda police about his mysterious disappearance. On Sunday afternoon, the businessman’s family received a ransom call.
Sundargarh SP Sagarika Nath said on being informed about the incident, a police team immediately launched a search and found the businessman’s vehicle with keys parked on the road. His mobile phone was also recovered from the spot. While police were searching for Pradeep, his wife received a ransom call. However, the SP did not specify the ransom amount.
Nath further said police have got some clues and two teams are raiding several locations to rescue the businessman. Pradeep’s parental house is at Birmitrapur. His two brothers, Dilip and Shankar, also stay at Civil Township and are involved in loading and transportation business of the PSU mining company Bisra Stone Lime Company Ltd at Birmitrapur.
It is suspected that some organised gang is behind the abduction. The area is near Simdega district of Jharkhand where the banned criminal outfit People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) is active.
However, those familiar with the modus operandi of PLFI said the outfit is involved in extortion and criminal activities with little or no evidence of kidnapping someone for ransom.