Keonjhar Police successfully rescued the Vice-President of Grewal Mineral and Metals, Barbil, who was kidnapped on February 12, and arrested 8 persons in this connection.
The accused have been identified as
- Md. Firoz (50), Barbil Basti, Keonjhar.
- Babu alias Md. Sahdab (45), Ranchi, Jharkhand.
- Sinha alias Bhudhendranath Singha (55), Lake Garden, Kolkata.
- Rajendra Paswan (53), Khemurubhagun, Bihar.
- Jamil Aktar (48), Ranchi, Jharkhand.
- Farha Parbin (50), Chakradharpur, Jharkhand.
- Sadab Naubahar (46), Chakradharpur, Jharkhand.
The incident came to light after the victim Nimananda Pradhan’s wife, Sujata Pradhan, filed a complaint at the Barbil Police Station the following day, expressing concerns when her husband did not return home.
During preliminary investigations, suspicions fell on Md. Firoz, an assistant driver who had been driving the victim’s vehicle on the day of the kidnapping, as both his and the victim’s mobile phones were found to be switched off. Further scrutiny revealed that Firoz had recently purchased a new vehicle and distributed sweets among company staff, raising further alarms.
In response, twelve police teams were formed under the supervision of Additional S.P. Barbil and Additional S.P. Headquarters, conducting interstate coordination with various agencies, including the FIU, Crime Branch Odisha, ATS Jharkhand, and others. The victim’s family, meanwhile, paid a ransom of ₹60 lakhs to secure his release.
Thanks to intelligence-led operations, police rescued the victim and arrested seven individuals involved in the crime. Interrogation of Md. Firoz revealed a well-planned conspiracy orchestrated by him and Sadab Khan, a notorious criminal from Jharkhand, to kidnap Nimananda Pradhan for ransom. The perpetrators used sedative-laced sweets and a toy pistol to execute their plan.
The police recovered ₹50,90,000 of the ransom money, along with the crime blueprints, a toy pistol, a surveillance vehicle, and mobile phones. The victim’s vehicle was also recovered.
This successful operation highlights the relentless efforts and coordinated approach of law enforcement agencies to combat crime and ensure public safety.
