Bihar doctor receives extortion letter; probe on

A doctor in Bihar's Motihari has received a letter asking him to cough up ₹2 crores as blackmail and threatening to kill him and his family members if the demands are not met within days, police said on Tuesday.

The development came close after several threatening phone calls were made to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Narkatiaganj, Rashmi Verma. The caller asked her not to favour local businessmen and threatened to kill her last month.

Chhatauni Station House Officer (SHO) Vinay Kumar said on Tuesday that the doctor was identified by the police as Sanjay Kumar and the threatening letter was found in his chamber on Sunday. “We have registered a case and are probing the matter,” said the SHO.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, when contacted, said he was threatened with dire consequences if the demands were not met. "I came across an envelope placed near my laptop just before closing the clinic on the evening of March 26, in which someone said that my family members and I were under his active scanner and would be killed unless ₹2 crores was not given," he said Dr Kumar also runs a diagnostic centre in the city.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors called East Champaran Superintendent of Police (SP) Kantesh Kumar Mishra and asked the doctor for protection. “We have informed the SP about what doctors are going through as a result of this extortion demand. We also sought protection until the arrest," said Dr BK Pandey, IMA Secretary, Motihari Unit.

When contacted, SP Mishra said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed under the Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO). "We are probing the matter from all possible angles," the SP said.