
BERHAMPUR: Four men who were allegedly kidnapped and terrorised with cobras to pay a ransom of Rs 2 crore were rescued by K Nuagaon police in Ganjam district.
Brahmananda Patra (45) and Ahemad Khan (56) of Cuttack, Amarjit Samantasinhar (24) of Bhubaneswar and Rabindra Kumar (49) of Paschim Vihar in Delhi were found captive in an abandoned house near Kerandimal forest in Chikiti area.
One of the abductors, identified as Pruthibiraj Sahu of Chikiti, has been nabbed while his associates are on the run.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said preliminary investigation revealed that Pruthibiraj and his associates called the four victims to Berhampur on pretext of arranging funds for Rabindra’s project from a private finance company at Berhampur. When the four arrived at Berhampur on January 23, they were kidnapped by the accused in two vehicles and wrongfully detained in a building. The kidnappers demanded Rs 2 crore as ransom and threatened to kill them, said the SP.
Later, the abductors shifted the victims to an abandoned house near Kerandimal forest. They reportedly caught three cobras from an anthill near the house and terrorised the four. The accused even assaulted the victims and asked Rabindra to arrange Rs 2 crore for their release.
on Sunday, Amarjit managed to escape from the kidnappers’ clutches, Vivek said. He reached Chikiti tehsil office and narrated his ordeal to the staff. Subsequently, K Nuagaon police rescued Amarjit. Basing on his statements, police rushed to the abandoned house and rescued the rest three victims. Pruthibiraj was arrested from the spot
Three cobras used to threaten the victims were also found in the house. The SP said Pruthibiraj is being interrogated and police have launched a manhunt to nab the other kidnappers. The Forest department has been intimated about the recovery of the snakes. Further investigation is underway.