Woman SI, journalist and two others held for abducting Odisha businessman

A woman police sub-inspector named Snehamanjari Sahu, a journalist, and three others have been arrested in connection with the abduction of an Odisha businessman. Hotelier Narendra Sahu, aged 62, was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint from Bolangir district on August 14 and taken to Bhubaneswar. He was tied up, assaulted, and confined to a hotel in the Khandagiri police station area. His family lodged a missing person complaint after he failed to return home on the 15th.

During the investigation, police discovered Sahu's vehicle heading towards Bhubaneswar and found video evidence of him posing with a pistol, apparently kidnapped by his alleged kidnappers. The accused demanded a ransom of ₹50 lakh, which they threatened to extort through a fake criminal case against Sahu if he failed to pay within 24 hours.

Journalist Sanjay Jena, who was allegedly close to Snehamanjari, impersonated a police officer and escorted Sahu to the station. Kshitish Chandra Sahu and his associate Sanjiv Behera were later arrested when they attempted to file a false counter-complaint. The kidnapping was planned to extort a large sum from the businessman, with police finding links to a rare antique Hanuman Paisa coin.

Kshitish claimed to have paid ₹2.7 crore for the coin in 2020, but has denied delivering it or receiving his money. Police are investigating this aspect of the case.