Bhubaneswar: The main accused in the Bhadrak abduction case was nabbed by Sabarang police in Jajpur district on Sunday.
The arrested has been identified as Bhagaban Das alias Baya.
The abduction took place on June 5, when Pratap Behera from Marapur village was kidnapped at gunpoint by a group of men linked to alleged local coal mafia networks. He had received prior threat calls.
Following a distress call from his wife, police launched a rescue operation and the victim was found with multiple injuries in a remote area in Mayurbhanj district. He was initially treated at Bhadrak’s District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) before being shifted to SCB Medical College in Cuttack.
DIG (eastern range) Satyajit Naik confirmed the abduction was linked to organised coal smuggling. He further stated that the kidnappers used multiple cars and two motorcycles to execute the crime. Behera has identified several suspects and accordingly, police are conducting raids to apprehend them, he added.
This came even as a trader of Belamala village was shot at in an alleged robbery bid while returning home on his motorcycle on Saturday night. Bidyadhar Patra, who suffered bullet injuries, was initially admitted to DHH and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, as his condition remained serious.
