A doctor in Bihar’s Motihari has received a letter asking him to cough up ₹ 2 crore as extortion and threatening to kill him and his family members if the demands were not met in a couple of days, police said on Tuesday.
The development came close on the heels of multiple threatening calls to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Narkatiaganj, Rashmi Verma. The caller asked her not to side with local businessmen and threatened to kill her last month.
Chhatauni’s station house officer (SHO) Vinay Kumar on Tuesday said the doctor has been identified by police as Sanjay Kumar and the threatening letter was found in his chamber on Sunday.
“We have registered a case and are looking into the matter,” the SHO said.
Dr. Sanjay Kumar, when contacted, said he has been threatened of dire consequences, if the demands were not met. “Stumbled upon an envelope placed near my laptop just before closing the clinic in the evening of March 26 in which someone has said that my family members and I were under his active scanner and will be killed if ₹2 crore was not given,” said Dr. Kumar, who also runs a diagnostic centre in the town.
Meanwhile, a team of doctors called on East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Kantesh Kumar Mishra and sought protection to the doctor. “We apprised the SP about what doctors are going through in the wake of this demand of extortion. We have also sought protection till the arrest is made,” said Dr. BK Pandey, secretary IMA, Motihari unit.
When contacted, SP Mishra said a special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted under the leadership of sadar sub divisional police officer (SDPO). “We are probing the matter from all possible angles,” the SP said.