: A top executive of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, a public sector company, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Bhubaneswar earlier this week, was beaten to death by an inter-State gang after they were unable to secure ransom from him, the police said here on Saturday.
According to the Bhubaneswar police, which solved the murder mystery in a week's time, Guruji alias Vadi Ramanna, a petty contractor from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, who was known to the victim earlier, had masterminded the plan.
Five criminals (Ramanna from Andhra Pradesh and four others from Odsiha), who were arrested, have confessed to the crime.
The miscreants had tricked the victim, Surya Prasad Rao, Assistant General Manager (Finance) at the steel plant, into believing that they would help him find a suitable bride for his younger son from Bhubaneswar.
As per their assurance that the match-making mission would be successful this time, Rao reached Bhubaneswar by flight on January 4 last.
“The miscreants had taken the victim directly from the airport to a guesthouse. After forcibly taking him to the guesthouse, they snatched away valuable jewelleries from him and secured passwords of his ATMs. They had withdrew Rs. 1.27 lakh using his ATM cards,” said R. P. Sharma, Comisssioner of Police for Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, addressing a press conference here on Saturday.
“Subsequently, the Vizag steel plant official was told that he had been kidnapped and could be freed only on payment of Rs. 5 crore. As Rs. 5 crore was too big an amount, they settled on Rs. 50 lakh.” Mr. Sharma said.
“To give his family members the impression that everything was right, the victim was forced to speak to his younger son on Sunday night. As the Vizag steel executive was not agreeing to pay the amount, he was beaten up severely,” commissioner said.
“The victim received a head injury after being beaten up severely. At midnight, when the miscreants sensed that he would succumb to injuries, they planned to dispose of his body. Subsequently, they had dumped the body near VSS Nagar area,” he said.
