BDO abducted and rescued in Odisha

A Block Development Officer (BDO) in Odisha's Bolangir district was allegedly abducted by the vice-chairperson of the block and his supporters but was rescued a few hours later on Friday, police said.

Saroj Mishra, an Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer and the BDO of Puintala was allegedly abducted from his office.

The abduction took place at around 4.30 pm when about 10 people arrived at the block office and forcibly took the BDO in a vehicle. The BDO was rescued from near the sub-collector office in Bolangir town later in the evening.

Superintendent of Police, K Siva Subramani said that the BDO was abducted by the vice-chairperson of Puintala block Raghunath Gurandi and some of his supporters.

"We have already identified the culprits and stringent action will be taken against them," the SP said adding that the police was examining the CCTV footage.

A medical examination has been conducted on the rescued BDO and his health is stable, the SP said.

The Bolangir Collector Arindam Dakua and the SP had a closed-door discussion with the BDO, soon after his rescue to know the circumstances under which he was abducted and the possible reasons behind it.