Son Of Ex-ZP Chairman Released 7 Days After Kidnap In Odisha’s Rayagada; Alleges Political Conspiracy

Rayagada: The son of former Zilla Parishad (ZP) chairman of Rayagada district in Odisha, who was allegdly kidnapped a week back, was released on Saturday.

According to sources, Asutosh Gamang, the son of former ZP chairman Bijay Kumar Gamang, was kidnapped from near his house while he was going to a temple in Rayagada on January 8. After keeping him in captivity for 7 days, the kidnappers released him at Machhkund in Koraput district.

The wife of Asutosh, Bhabani Sabar, had filed a missing complaint about him at Rayagada police station after he did not return home on the fateful day.

Giving details on his kidnap, Asutosh told the media that while he was going to the temple, two youths came on a motorcycle and told him to go with them at knife-point. As he sat on the bike with them, they blindfolded him and administered an injection to render him senseless.

The kidnappers, who were talking in Hindi and Telugu, moved around with him and kept him in captivity at different places. “Most of the time I was remaining unconscious. If I shouted for help, they would apply injection to me and I would lose sense. They were giving me gruel and millets to eat,” said Asutosh who works in a state government department at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district.

However, when he came to sense on Saturday, Asutosh found himself at a place under Machhkund police station in Koraput. With the help of the local people, he called his family members and informed him about his release from the kidnappers. Later, his maternal uncle, who works in Forest department at Lamtaput, came to the place and took him home.