Odisha: Three debt-ridden men arrested for boy’s kidnapping in Nayagarh

BHUBANESWAR: Three debt-ridden men desperately looking to make some money to repay bank loans, were arrested by Nayagarh district police on Tuesday for the alleged kidnapping of a businessman’s minor son in Odagaon area for ransom.
The 12-year-old, who was reportedly kidnapped on December 15, was rescued by the police on Monday. The accused have been identified as Swapna Panda, Bhakta Panda and Sunil Panigrahi of Kural village. They are said to be in their 20s.
“The accused were in financial distress. They had availed small loans (amount yet to be ascertained) from banks. One of them had also purchased a four-wheeler and failed to repay the monthly EMI. Two days back the finance company had taken possession of his vehicle for failure to pay his EMI on time. The accused kidnapped the boy and planned to demand ransom from his father, who runs a big grocery store in the area,” Nayagarh superintendent of police Alekh Pahi said. Though the SP did not disclose the ransom amount, police sources said the accused had planned to extort Rs 10 lakh from the boy’s father. The boy’s family members were unavailable for comment.