The Commissionerate police on Saturday arrested five persons, including a private web channel woman journalist, on the charges of kidnapping and torturing a businessman and his associate to extort money.
The businessman and his associate were held hostage and tortured by the accused for two consecutive days. The duo was released only after their family members allegedly paid a ransom of Rs 50,000 to the abductors. Preliminary reports indicate that the businessman from Barbil area and his associate from Kendrpada were engaged in transportation of minerals. They were called to Bhubaneswar by some members of the web channel.Later, the accused allegedly held the duo hostage at a secluded place in the outskirts of the city and asked to pay of Rs 10 lakh for their release. The matter came to light after the businessman’s associate lodged a complaint with Nandankanan police in connection with incident. Based on the written complaint, police conducted a raid and arrested four persons including the woman scribe. Further investigations into the case was ongoing. City DCP Uma Shankar Dash said , "As the accused identified themselves employees of a media house, many people were not raising their voice against them. We have decided to debar them from entering the city limits and soon a Tadipaar notice will be issued."