Kolkata: TV news channel Republic Bangla has suspended a reporter who is accused of abducting a businessman by posing as a CBI official and extorting Rs 15 lakh from his family.
The accused journalist, Avishek Sengupta, has been absconding since Monday when the alleged abduction took place.
Republic Media Network announced Sengupta’s suspension on Twitter on Wednesday. “Republic Bangla has suspended from service Avishek Sengupta. Avishek Sengupta was under probation and was not a confirmed employee of Republic Bangla. His probation stands suspended effective 25 May 2021,” the tweet read.
Fake CBI Officials
Police said Sengupta and four others met businessman Ajit Roy on Monday posing as CBI officials. They took him away by claiming that they had an arrest warrant against him.
According to an FIR lodged against the accused, the five had demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore from Roy’s wife but later settled for Rs 15 lakh, before releasing the businessman.
Police sources said three of Sengupta’s accomplices — Swarup Roy, Pratik Sarkar and Rajesh Adhikar — have been arrested.
The police also said more people were believed to be involved in the case, and that they have collected CCTV footage from various places to hunt for Sengupta.
Covering The CBI
According to police sources, the fact that Sengupta impersonated a CBI official and kidnapped Roy came to light during the course of the investigation. Sengupta covered the CBI for Republic Bangla.
The officers noted that after Roy was picked up by Sengupta and his accomplices, his wife went to the CBI office looking for him and discovered that no case had been filed against the businessman by the investigating agency.
She later started receiving calls for ransom and agreed to pay Rs 15 lakh to get her husband back, The Print reported.
