Body of journalist’s son fished out from pond in Patrapada
BHUBANESWAR: A senior journalist’s son, who was allegedly kidnapped by unknown persons from Infocity area here on Saturday night, was found dead in a pond in Patrapada on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Manish Anurag Das (30), who was set to marry next month.
Police said they would probe from all possible angles, including the suspected murder as the deceased’s father Navin Das strongly suspected his son might have been killed by the kidnappers. Sources said Manish was a businessman and had been looking after his father’s tabloid.
Mystery shrouded the cause and circumstances that led to his death. Police said Manish had called up his parents on Saturday evening and told them about his dinner plan with some friends at a restaurant in Patia. As his parents were waiting for his return, they were shocked to receive his distress call past midnight where he said he was beaten up and kidnapped by some persons in Patia area.
Around 4.10 am on Sunday, he again called his parents and reportedly demanded a small ransom money (a few thousands of rupees) for his release. His mother reportedly transferred around Rs 7,000 to his account. The family later lodged a complaint with the Infocity police station about his abduction. After a few hours, the police found the body of a man floating in a pond in Patrapada and identified him as Manish.
The distance between the abduction site and pond is around 15 km. Police are at a loss as to how Manish came to the Patrapada pond from Patia and whether his death was accidental or by murder.
“We are trying to find out the exact cause of death. No injury marks were found on the body. A kidnapping case was registered at Infocity police station. Since his family suspects foul play behind his death, we will probe the murder angle. A special team has been formed to solve the case,” DCP Uma Shankar Dash said. Police said they would verify the call records of Manish’s phone, question his friends and examine the CCTV footage in Patia to get some clues.
Inspired By