Balangir: The kidnapping of Balangir-based businessman and hotelier Narendra Sahu has taken several dramatic turns, with police now probing a financial dispute linked to a rare antique ‘Hanuman coin’ allegedly valued at around Rs 2.7 crore, alongside the suspected roles of a woman sub-inspector and a journalist.
Sahu, 52, was abducted on the afternoon of August 14 near a toll gate on National Highway-57 in Puintala area of Balangir district.
According to Balangir SP Abilash G, the prime accused, Kshitish Chandra Sahu, 50, had been tracking the victim’s movements for three days. On the day of the incident, Kshitish and his associates spotted Sahu alone in his car near Malamunda village, forced him into their vehicle, and sped towards Bhubaneswar. Sahu’s car was later found abandoned at the toll gate.
A joint operation by Balangir Police and the Bhubaneswar Special Squad led to Sahu’s rescue the following day from Khandagiri area of the state capital. CCTV footage, mobile location tracking and other technical inputs were used to locate him. One pistol and six rounds of ammunition were seized in connection with the case.
Following his rescue, four individuals were detained, including a female Sub-Inspector (SI) and a Bhubaneswar-based journalist posing as a crime reporter. The detained officer, identified as Sneha Manjari Sahu, is the sister of prime accused Khitish Sahu. Police suspect the SI played a central role in plotting the abduction, providing tactical guidance to the abductors on how to evade surveillance, and attempting to mislead investigators to delay search efforts. The journalist, identified as Sanjay Jena, was taken into custody after call records revealed nearly 30 calls exchanged between him, the victim, and the key suspect on the day of the kidnapping. It is being suspected that he may have acted as a mediator, while assisting in fabricating cover stories, including coercing the victim to film statements under duress.
The businessman had claimed that nine people were involved in the abduction and that he was assaulted during captivity. He, however, denied knowing Kshitish and rejected any deal involving a Hanuman coin in 2020 as was revealed during the preliminary investigation.
Northern Range Inspector General Himanshu Kumar Lal, who visited Bolangir and questioned both the complainant and the accused, confirmed that the money and Hanuman coin angles had emerged during the probe. “During the investigation, it has come to notice that this happened because of money and a Hanuman coin. All of this has been noted down and investigation is underway,” he said.
Police have noted discrepancies in the statements of the two men and are examining financial dealings, though concrete evidence of the transaction has not yet been established.
Khitish Sahu and accomplice Sanjiv Behera, were later arrested as they attempted to file a false counter-complaint at Khandagiri police station to frame the victim and mislead police. Effort are underway to trace the person who was allegedly present during the transaction, as claimed by the accused, the sources added.