5 held in Odisha for assaulting a Kerala labourer over kidnapping rumours: Cop

The incident follows the arrest of at least 24 people on Saturday for the alleged assault of two NGO workers in Rayagada district

Published on: Jun 22, 2026, 17:18:10 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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Five persons were arrested for allegedly assaulting a Kerala-based labourer on Sunday in Odisha’s Sambalpur town amid suspicions that he was a kidnapper, police said on Monday.

The arrests were made after viral videos of the assault appeared on social media. (Representative Photo/iStock)

According to police the arrests were made after viral videos of the assault appeared on social media.

The victim, Vishnu Sibu, a resident of Alleppey in Kerala, was rescued by a police team on Sunday and admitted to hospital. He was later discharged and sent back to Kerala on Monday.

Sambalpur additional superintendent of police (SP) Ajay Kumar Mishra said that Vishnu earlier worked as a welding labourer under a contractor in Bargarh district. He was unemployed for the past few months and had been looking for work in Sambalpur for nearly two weeks.

“While he was near Dhobapada Chhak, some locals became suspicious because of his appearance and inability to communicate in the local language. They assumed he had come to commit a crime and assaulted him,” Mishra said.

Also Read:Odisha minister’s nephew booked after student, 21, found dead in her hostel room

One of the videos circulating on social media showed a group of people surrounding Vishnu, assaulting him and checking his bag. Another clip showed the injured man being dragged away by locals.

Police later examined the viral videos and CCTV footage from the area.

Khetrajpur police station inspector-in-charge Anil Pradhan said the assault took place in the Dhobapada area under Badabazar.

The incident follows the arrest of at least 24 people on Saturday for the alleged assault of two NGO workers in Rayagada district, who were also suspected of being kidnappers.

The Investigative Units for Crime Against Women (IUCAW) of Odisha police is investigating the case. A petition has also been filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking monetary compensation for the two victims.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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