Kidnapping Of Businessmen: Absconding Web Channel Head Nabbed In Kolkata

Bhubaneswar: Ten days after the arrest of five persons, including a woman journalist, the Commissionerate Police on Monday arrested the head of a regional web channel from Kolkata in connection with the alleged torture and kidnapping of two businessmen.

Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash informed that Raghunath Sahu alias Raja had been absconding since the arrest of five staff of Live Kalinga on August 28. However, the police traced his whereabouts and apprehended him in Kolkata.

Stating that the accused will be forwarded to the court later in the day, he said that the police will seek permission from the court to take him on remand for interrogation.

The DCP further said the portal head along with the five accused arrested earlier will be banished from the Odisha capital as decided earlier to ensure the safety of the people.

The modus operandi of the said web portal came to light after a complaint was lodged by Purna Chandra Sahu, a businessman of Kendrapada district, in the Nandankanan Police Station on August 7.

Sahu had alleged that one Priyambada Nayak, identifying herself as a reporter of Live Kalinga web portal, had called him over phone and told him that her organisation recently conducted a sting operation and found that he had committed GST fraud worth over crores of rupees. She then asked him to come to Bhubaneswar and meet her in the office, failing she threatened to publish the report.

Panicked by the call, Sahu and his business partner arrived at the web portal office in Raghunathpur area where the owner of the web portal Raj and his staff demanded Rs 10 lakh. As Sahu refused to pay the money, they severely thrashed them inside a room for two days.

Sahu further said that the media staff later threatened the family members of Sahu and his partner and asked them to cough up Rs 10 lakh. The duo was released after their families paid the extortion money.

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