June 21st 2024.
It was a scene straight out of a thrilling movie when a woman and her partner came up with a plan to fake her own abduction and demand a hefty ransom from her family. The incident, which took place in Bhubaneswar, left the entire city in shock. But their luck eventually ran out when the police managed to track their GPS location and apprehended them in Nayagarh on Friday. Another individual was also arrested in connection with the case, bringing the whole scheme to light.
According to a senior police official, the accused were found in possession of three mobile phones, a four-wheeler, a data card, nine ATM-cum-debit cards, two passbooks, two cheque books, and a laptop. Twin City Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda addressed the media on Friday, revealing the identities of the culprits. The prime accused was identified as 27-year-old Pradeep Kumar Ola, while his accomplices were Devi Lal, 27, and Smruti Rekha Pani, 35. Ola and Lal hailed from Rajasthan.
The incident came to light when Smruti Rekha's father, Narayan Pani, filed a complaint at the Chandaka police station on Thursday night, claiming that his daughter had been kidnapped by unknown miscreants. He also mentioned that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore through a WhatsApp call made from Smruti Rekha's phone. Narayan, who resides in the Trident Galaxy area of Chandaka, stated that his daughter had left for a religious programme at Satsang Vihar in an auto-rickshaw around 6:45 pm. Shortly after, he received the call from the abductors, leaving him in a state of panic. In a desperate attempt to save his daughter, Smruti Rekha's brother, who lives in Bangalore, made an online payment of Rs 12 lakh to the bank accounts provided by the kidnappers. Fortunately, the police managed to approach the bank and freeze the accounts before the money could be transferred.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Ola had hired his associate from Rajasthan to assist him in executing the plan. In response to the complaint, the police formed six teams, including a special squad, Chandaka police, Bhubaneswar police, and Nayagarh police, to track down the culprits.
Sources from the Chandaka police department disclosed that Ola and Smruti Rekha had become friends on Instagram back in December 2023. It was also reported that the woman's husband was working in Singapore. The Commissionerate Police charged the trio under Section 364 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and presented them before a local court on Friday. The incident has left the entire city in shock, and the police are advising citizens to be cautious of such fraudulent schemes.
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