A week after he was allegedly kidnapped by unknown criminals, Jajpur police verified on Wednesday that Dhaneswar Sethi, a member of Ranpur Panchayat Ward No. 3, had safely returned home.

The kidnappers freed him late Tuesday night in the vicinity of the Binjharpur police station in Jajpur, according to the police. Political tension has been raised in the region as a result of the incident, which occurred at the same time as a planned motion of no-confidence against the local sarpanch.

After a week in custody, the ward member was released.
Police say that on Tuesday night, Sethi was discovered abandoned not far from the Binjharpur police station. He was then brought for a medical examination after officers reported that he seemed worn out but unharmed.

Notably, his family had previously claimed that he had been abducted in order to keep him from casting a ballot in the October 8 no-confidence motion.

According to sources, Sethi reportedly vanished on October 1st, not long after travelling to Binjharpur. His family said that he was taken away by force by a bunch of unnamed males.

His relatives expressed suspicions shortly after he filed a missing persons complaint that this was not a random kidnapping but rather an act connected to local political competition.