Four arrested for abduction and suicide of taxi driver in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Chandaka police arrested four men on Monday in connection with the alleged abduction and abetment of suicide of a 35-year-old taxi driver, whose body was found near Jujhagada village on the city outskirts on Saturday.The accused were identified as N Dilip Kumar, 37, Deepak Kumar Sahukar, 30, Rabindra Behera, 50, and Ramesh Chandra Behera, 56, all from Gajapati district.Police said the accused, along with several accomplices who are on the run, abducted Bidyadhar Sahoo on Sept 15 and demanded a ransom of Rs 1.5 crore. The accused allegedly gave Sahoo the money to secure employment for themselves and their relatives in govt and private sectors. Sahoo is said to have acted as an intermediary for a woman who operated a job consultancy firm in the city.“When the promised jobs failed to materialise, the accused sought refunds and return of their documents, including educational certificates. The accused met Sahoo on Sept 15 in Bhubaneswar, subsequently kidnapping him and transporting him to Jajpur, where he was held captive in a house,” police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said.On Sept 17, they contacted Sahoo’s wife, demanded a ransom of Rs 1.5 crore and the return of their documents for his safe release. On Sept 19, Sahoo’s wife filed a complaint with Badagada police station over her husband’s abduction.“Sahoo was subjected to torture by his captors, who pressured him to return their money. Sahoo hanged himself in the room where he was held captive on Sept 19. In a state of panic, the accused transported Sahoo’s body back to Bhubaneswar the same night, disposing of it in an isolated area along the Baranga-Pitapali road,” Singh said.They attempted to stage a suicide by hanging Sahoo’s body from a tree. However, during the attempt, one of the accused received a call from Badagada police on the same phone used to make the ransom demand to Sahoo’s wife. Fearing arrest, the accused abandoned Sahoo’s body and fled the scene. On Sept 20, Sahoo’s body was found.“We are searching for other accomplices of the four accused as well as the woman and her associates who cheated the accused. The four accused have been charged with abduction, assault and abetment of suicide,” Singh said.