While the Sundargarh police are yet make any breakthrough in kidnapping of a Kolkata businessman and his driver in the district here, the company officials in their FIR named a businessman of Balangir district suspecting his involvement in the kidnapping.
Two separate police teams of Sundargarh are now conducting a search operation at two different locations outside the district.
Pratik Patodia (31), director of Ashok Multiyarn Mills limited (AMMl), located at Kirei, Sundargarh and his driver Rohit Tanty, were allegedly kidnapped from Badbahal area on SH 10 on Friday. The staff of AMMl had lodged a preliminary complaint at Bhasma police station of Sundargarh, following which police along with a scientific team had visited the spot and started an investigation. Significantly, Patodia was coming along with his driver in his personal Tata Safari car, after getting down at Jharsuguda from Howara-Koraput Samaleswari Express train.
On Friday evening, AMMl personnel manager Indra Bahadur Singh had lodged another complaint in police station, wherein he suspected involvement of one Anil Bansal of Kantabanjhi area under Bolangir district, who also owns a company named as Om Organic Private limited (OOPl). Sources said AMMl had business link with OOPl and there were some business conflicts last year. Hundreds of aggrieved farmers had lodged a FIR in Sundargarh sadar police station in July 2015, alleging that they had been duped to the tune of about Rs 4 crore, as they had not received their payment against their cotton supply to AMMl through OOPl. AMMl had been claiming that payment had been made where as OOPl had been claiming that payment had not been received.
“We are now investigating into the case from the angle of business rivalry,” said SP Nikhil Kanoria.