Fake abduction drama staged by family to evade penalty ends in Odisha

Police find woman who moved human rights panel and High Court seeking the rescue of her husband and son along with the ‘abductees’.

A family in Odisha’s Khordha district which hatched an elaborate fake abduction drama of its own members to evade a fine imposed by a village committee has been ‘rescued’ by police, bringing an end to the four-year-old case .

In 2018, the Harbaradi village committee issued a diktat that no one from village should go to Chilika Lake for fishing. However, Arun Behera (53) and his son Manas (25) ignored it and went to catch fish.

The committee allegedly imposed a fine of ₹5,000 on the family. The father-son duo fled the vilage on the pretext of arranging money. Subsequently, Parbati Behera lodged a written complaint at the Tangi police station alleging that her husband and son had been kidnapped and demanded proper inquiry

Later, she also moved the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) which directed the police to take action. Subsequently, Ms. Behera sought the Orissa High Court’s intervention in the case.

After four years, on April 18, a Tangi police team ‘rescued’ the father and son from Gopalpur village under Ranapur police station limits of Nayagarh district. Incidentally, the woman was found with the ‘abducted’ persons. Earlier, the police had raided different places in Puri, Khordhan and Nayagarh districts.

“We remained on our toes for four years to rescue two abducted persons as the woman had moved OHRC and HC seeking rescue of her husband and son. Khordha Superintendent of Police and two former inspectors of Tangi police station had to make personal appearance before commission to apprise it of the status of the case,” said Manas Barik, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Balugaon.

Mr. Barik said, “rescue of two men brought huge relief for police. The woman had always been in the radar of the police. It turned out to be fake abduction saga when police found the woman along with kidnapped persons.”