Cab owner kidnap case: Odisha cops reveal details about mastermind, motive

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police today revealed details regarding the mastermind behind the abduction of a cab owner in the Odisha capital here on December 28.

According to the police, driver Swagat Sekhar alias Lucky of Kuakhia area in Jajpur district is the mastermind behind the abduction of his employer and cab owner Shankarsan Sahu alias Pintu from Patrapada area of the capital city at around 8 pm on December 28.

“Lucky plotted his employer’s abduction. He had engaged four persons to abduct the cab owner. Luck’s motive was to extort ransom from his employer’s family,” said Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) at a presser here today.

According to the DCP, the four persons had abducted the cab owner in a car from Krishna Bihar locality in Patrapada and taken him to Jajpur district. The accused had confined the cab owner to a dilapidated building in Jajpur and sought a ransom of Rs 10 lakh from her family.

The abductors had threatened to kill the cab owner if his family did not pay the ransom. The victim’s wife had lodged a complaint in this regard with Khandagiri police, said the DCP.

“A special team of the Commissionerate Police swung into action and detained cab driver Lucky for interrogation. After eliciting information from the driver, our personnel rescued the cab owner from Jajpur within 24 hours. The police team managed to capture two of the abductors from the spot while two others managed to escape,” revealed the DCP.

The abductors had assaulted the cab owner and he has been admitted to the Capital Hospital with multiple injuries, he said.

“We have arrested Lucky and two abductors—Mantu Mohanty and Priyabrata Behera—in connection with the incident,” added the DCP.

Cab owner Pintu had earlier been booked in a case under the NDPS Act in Kandhamal and in another case in Ganjam, revealed the DCP.

“We are looking into all angles in the case,” he said.