India, Aug. 17 -- A dispute over a purported rare "Hanuman paisa" worth crores allegedly led to the kidnapping of a Balangir businessman, with a journalist and a woman police sub-inspector accused of hatching the conspiracy to pressure him into paying money, police said on Monday.

The accused allegedly threatened businessman Narendra Sahu, 62, with a pistol, forced him to record staged videos and attempted to use a fabricated assault complaint to pressure him into paying money, police officials said.

The case centres on an alleged "Hanuman paisa" racket reported in western Odisha, where fraudsters exploit beliefs surrounding mythical antique coins said to have extraordinary wealth-generating or supernatural properties. Police said such ...