Kidnapping case cracked with six arrests

Koraput: Jeypore Sadar police cracked a kidnapping for ransom case and arrested six persons for their alleged involvement in the crime on Wednesday evening. Police recovered a country-made pistol with three rounds of ammunition, nine grams of gold, the victim's mobile phone, two motorcycles used in the crime, and mobile phones belonging to the accused from them.The victim has been identified as A Rama Krishna Rao(60), while the arrested accused are Makara Dishari (25), Kamal Lochan Harijan (25), Karesh Khara (25), Lucky Khosla (25), Bandku Nag (26), Karan Nayak (20), and Pratap Behera (26). All the accused are residents of Borigumma and Jeypore blocks, police said.The incident took place on March 21, when Rao, a money-lender, was abducted near Gateguda under Jeypore Sadar police limits while returning home on his scooter."The abductors had left behind the scooter and the victim's spectacles, which initially pointed to an extortion motive," said sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Jeypore, Partha Kashyap.According to the SDPO, investigations revealed that Raju was forcibly taken in a four-wheeler to a remote hilltop near Rampudipadar village under B.Singpur police limits. There, he was held at gunpoint, and one round was reportedly fired. The victim managed to escape and return safely the day after with the assistance of local residents and police.During interrogation, it emerged that Lucky Khosla and Kamal Lochan Harijan were the key conspirators. "It was a well-orchestrated kidnapping attempt with the intent to extort," the SDPO said. Further investigation is underway, and additional arrests or recoveries may follow, he added.