One held for abducting cousin in Odisha, demanding Rs 1 crore ransom

JAGATSINGHPUR: Jagatsinghpur police arrested one person on charges of abducting his 22-year-old cousin and demanding a ransom of Rs 1 crore from his father on Friday. The accused Santosh Rout of Salijanga village under Jagatsinghpur police along with two accomplices also threatened to kill the victim Asutosh Rout if their demand was not met. The other two accomplices, however, are at large.

According to reports, Santosh’s father Bishnu Charan Rout had requested his younger brother Dhaneswar Rout who works as an income tax advocate to employ Santosh at his tax consultancy firm so that he can earn something. Accordingly, Santosh started working with Dhaneswar in Jayabada village in Jagatsinghpur town. However, due to some problems, Dhaneswar could not pay Santosh on a regular basis.

Aggrieved, Santosh, along with two associates, kidnapped Dhaneswar’s son and made a ransom call to him from an unknown number to pay Rs 1 crore in exchange for Asutosh’s release. They also threatened to kill him if their demands went unmet. Fearing for his son’s safety, Dhaneswer filed an FIR at the Jagatsinghpur police station. Soon, police swung into action and apprehended the main culprit, Santosh, from Balia, under Biridi police jurisdiction. Santosh was taken into custody and questioned regarding Asutosh’s whereabouts. With the information obtained from Santosh, police rescued Asutosh from an isolated location in Khurdha. However, the other two accomplices managed to escape before they could be apprehended.

Jagatsinghpur police have registered a case in connection with the incident, and an investigation is underway. The IIC of Jagatsinghpur police station, Gokularanjan Das, said “Police have arrested the main accused, Santosh, and presented him before the court on Saturday. We are making efforts to locate and apprehend the other two abductors.”

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