Four arrested within 48 hours for kidnapping Raigarh college professor, extorting money
Raipur, October 9: Raigarh district police have arrested four men within 48 hours for allegedly kidnapping a 47-year-old degree college professor at knifepoint, assaulting him and forcing him to disclose his mobile phone password and UPI credentials to transfer money from his bank account.
Police recovered ₹99,100 in cash, a motorcycle, a knife and mobile phones allegedly used in the crime.
The incident took place on October 5 in Jakela village under Pusaur police station limits. According to police, the professor, Kapurchand Gupta, was on an evening walk near Deepapara and Shobha Rice Mill when he stopped to rest on a stone near a roadside pond.
The accused allegedly ambushed him, blindfolded him and threatened him with a knife held against his neck and chest. They forced him onto a motorcycle and took him to an isolated location, where they assaulted him to obtain his phone’s screen-lock password and credentials for Google Pay and BHIM UPI.
Using the professor’s phone, the accused allegedly transferred money from his bank account to a third-party account through QR codes until the daily transaction limit was exhausted. They subsequently took him to an abandoned room in Pandripani village under Bhupdeopur police station limits and held him captive.
The accused also allegedly forced the professor to call his family to avoid raising suspicion. However, his family noticed inconsistencies during the conversation, traced his location to Pandripani and reached the spot with local residents. The kidnappers fled on hearing the villagers approach, leaving the professor behind.
Following a complaint, Pusaur police registered a case under Sections 140(3), 309(6), 142 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Raigarh Superintendent of Police Shashi Mohan Singh and Additional SP Anil Soni formed a special team led by Pusaur inspector Harshvardhan Singh Bais to investigate the case. The team arrested the first accused, Sunil Sarthi (32), a resident of Chhatamura, from Sarangarh within 24 hours of the incident.
During interrogation, police identified three other suspects and arrested them. They were identified as Rajendra Kumar Mahant alias Pradeep (35), alleged to be the main conspirator; his brother Narendra alias Nandu Mahant (34), both residents of Jakela; and Dinesh Sarthi (34), a resident of Aurda village.
According to investigating officers, the accused had allegedly planned the extortion on October 3 at Sunil Sarthi’s residence, two days before the kidnapping. They allegedly selected the professor because they considered him an easy target.
“Pusaur police acted swiftly to arrest all four accused within 48 hours. Strict action will continue against violent crime in the district,” SP Shashi Mohan Singh said.
Police said Sunil Sarthi had been produced for judicial remand, while the remaining three accused were remanded to police custody for further investigation into the digital transactions. Rajendra Mahant has a criminal record and was previously jailed in a murder case, police added.
