Abducted child in Bhubaneswar rescued, seven including two women arrested

In a dramatic turn of events, an eight-year-old boy, who was abducted from the Panchagaon area under the CP Airfield Police Station in Bhubaneswar, was successfully rescued from the Nirakarpur area in Khordha on Tuesday.

As many as seven individuals, including two women, have been arrested in connection with the case.

The investigation reportedly revealed that the abduction plot was masterminded by one Shubhrakant Mahapatra, who had knowledge of a large sum of money obtained by the child's father from a land sale. 

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Mahapatra allegedly orchestrated the kidnapping with his associates with the intention of extorting money from the minor boy's father. He, along with his associates, hatched the plan and kidnapped the child while he was returning from school. They reportedly took the boy to Nirakarpur in a black vehicle.

Further Investigation Underway

"Following an investigation into the incident, we could rescue the child successfully from the Nirakarpur area after an operation of six hours. As many as seven persons, including two women, have been arrested in connection with the case. They had abducted the child to extract money from his parents. We tried our best to rescue the child unharmed within a short period of time. Every hour was important for us," said Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh.

"A person identified as Shubhrakant Mahapatra was the mastermind behind the abduction. He had an assessment of a large sum of money with the parents of the child, obtained from a land sale. Our first priority was to rescue the child, and our second priority was to arrest the accused. Detailed investigation into the incident is currently going on, and more information about it could be divulged later," he added.

Victim Narrates Incident

"When I was returning from school, my tuition teacher asked me to come with him so that he could take me to the hospital for treatment. Subsequently, some people took me in a vehicle," said Pratyush, the child who was abducted.

The mother of the child thanked the Commissionerate Police for rescuing his little son.

"When my younger son reached home at 10 am, I asked him about his brother. However, he told me that his brother will soon reach home. Later, I got a phone call. Somebody told me that our son was abducted by them, and they demanded money to return the child. He also told me not to inform the police or any relative about the incident. I am thankful to the police for rescuing my child," said the mother of the child.

"We had a notion that Shubhrakant was a nice guy. We had never thought that he would be involved in such an incident," said a local resident.