Bhubaneswar: Chandaka Police on Friday rescued a woman, who was allegedly abducted from a posh area of Bhubaneswar on June 19.
According to sources, Smrutirekha Pangi, who was staying with her parents at Trident Galaxy apartment in Chandaka area following her separation from her husband, left for Satsang Vihar near Vani Vihar on Wednesday noon. When she did not return home, her family launched a frantic search for her and later lodged a complaint with Chandaka police, alleging that she had been kidnapped.
The abductor reportedly demanded Rs 1 crore for her release in a call to her brother in Bengaluru.
The investigation, however, revealed that the woman had faked her kidnapping with the help of her lover as her family was reportedly against their relationship. A six-member police team monitored by Commissioner of Police Sanjeeb Panda and DCP Prateek Singh apprehended her along with two other persons after tracking their mobile phones and tracing their location to Nayagarh.
The woman had married in 2015 to a software engineer but returned to Bhubaneswar about 2 and a half years ago. She then developed a relationship with a person, who is said to be an non-Odia, sources added.
Police further confirmed to have arrested two persons, including the woman’s boyfriend, in connection with the incident. They have been identified as Devi Lala Ola and Pradeep Kumar Ola, both residents of Rajasthan.
During interrogation, the accused told police that the woman had plotted her own kidnapping to extort money from her brother, who is an online trader. She was also planning to marry Pradeep. “Pradeep and Smrutirekha met over Instagram and were in contact for last 8-10 months. I along with Pradeep came to Odisha on June 18. When we met her, she insisted on faking her kidnapping for money. Accordingly, Pradeep called her brother on WhatsApp and demanded Rs 1 crore. He agreed to pay the amount and also spoke to his sister. But we were arrested the following day,” said Devi.
Pradeep said that Smrutirekha had assured to arrange money for him after hearing about his miserable condition.
