Khurdha, Sept 29: At least five persons including an engineer were arrested on charges of abducting a businessman from Balugaon area of Odisha's Khurdha district.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Suraj Dora, the alleged mastermind, Abhijeet Patnaik and Muna Behera from Ganjam district, as well as Dharmaraj Palei and Chandan Jena from Khurdha. Dora is reportedly an engineer.
Meanwhile, the victim, identified as Sushil Subudhi, was rescued on Sunday from Chandapur in Nayagarh district, just hours after he was reported missing.
As per reports, Subudhi was abducted late Saturday night while returning home after closing his shop. The miscreants intercepted him on a street, forcibly dragged him into a car, and snatched Rs 20 lakh in cash that he was carrying, along with his scooter.
Later, the accused dropped Subudhi near Chandapur and fled in the direction of Bhubaneswar.
When Subudhi failed to return home late into the night, his wife lodged a complaint with the police, prompting an immediate search operation.
Acting on the complaint, police set up a checkpoint on NH-16. Noticing the heightened security on the highway, the accused, fearing arrest, stopped their car and attempted to flee. However, the police spotted their suspicious behavior and, after a brief chase, managed to apprehend the gang.
Police confirmed the arrest of all five accused, including the mastermind. They also stated that the car used in the abduction has been seized, and Rs 6.5 lakh in cash has been recovered from the stolen bag.
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