Revealing the details about much-publicised kidnapping of a Kolkata based businessman and his driver, the Sundargarh police on Thursday said the duo was kidnapped by Kantabanji-based businessman Anil Bansal and his associates for collection of their old dues of about Rs 4.3 crore.
The police confirmed that as many as seven persons were involved in this case out of which two had been arrested and five others, including prime accused Bansal, were absconding.
On Thursday, Sundargarh SP Nikhil Kanoria, while addressing mediapersons, told about the kidnapping episode of Kolkata businessman Pratik Patodia and the motive of kidnapping. Anil Bansal, owner of Om Organics Private limited (OOPl), located at Kantabanjhi in Balangir, reportedly had gone to Kolkata on July 21. Although Bansal had not met Patodia family in Kolkata, he had somehow got a clue about the visit programme of Patodia to Sundargarh on July 22.
Accordingly, Bansal had quickly boarded a train back to Jharsuguda and on his way had plotted the kidnapping plan of Pratik, police said.
“On July 22, Anil Bansal and six others in two vehicles had followed the vehicle of Pratik Patodia from Jharsuguda station, when he was on his way to Kirei unit and intercepted him at Padbahal area, on SH 10. later, they kidnapped both Pratik and his driver Rohit Tantiy,” said Kanoria.
“They had taken him to Amar Kantak of Chhattisgarh where they had kept them in a guest house till July 25 night. Bansal, however, had left that place on July 24 and on his instruction, Pratik and his driver Rohit was brought to Kantabanjhi on July 26,” Kanoria informed.
“We had come to know about their entry in to Odisha and Bolangir district, following which we had increased the search operation on July 26 evening, mainly in Kantabanjhi, Saintala and Titilagarh area of Bolangir district,” Kanoria said. “Driver Rohit managed to escape from the clutch of the kidnappers on July 26 evening and had boarded a train to Jharsuguda from Titilagarh station. We got the information following which we received him from Jharsuguda station during wee hours on July 27 and took him to Kantabanjhi to rescue Pratik. Our police team rescued Pratik from Tikiripara area under Saintala police station, when he was being shifted to another location in a two wheeler,” Kanoria said.
One Mukund Nag, a local of Kantabanjhi, who was carrying Pratik in a two-wheeler, was nabbed on the spot and later, we arrested another accused, identified as Sidhartha Kamble, also involved in this case, the SP said.
Police also confirmed that the kidnappers contacted Patodia family during these six days and had pressurised them to repay their old outstanding of Rs 4.3 crore.
Significantly, based on a FIR lodged by Bansal during July last year regarding his old outstanding dues from AMMl, the Sundargarh Sadar police had arrested one accountant of Patodia’s cotton mill Ashoka Multiyarn Mills ltd where as its owner Pawan Patodia and two of his sons had obtained anticipatory bail.