Kolkata: Around a dozen doctors, many employed at leading private hospitals in the city, have received typed extortion letters over the past few days, each demanding Rs 10 lakh. Two doctors have approached the Kolkata Police, and FIRs have been registered at Anandapur and East Jadavpur police stations based on complaints from Anirban Basu of Desun Hospital and Uttam Kumar Saha of Peerless Hospital. The detective department has been brought in to investigate the incident.
Details of the Threat
According to the FIR at Anandapur, on April 22 around 2 pm, the accused sent a letter to the complainant at Desun Hospital, putting him in fear of death in order to extort Rs 10,00,000. The letters, which identified the sender as a 'special unit' of a militant organisation, were written in bold capital letters and stated, 'We are guerilla warfare trained and carry all modern arms and ammunition.' The two-page threat further claimed that the doctors would be left alone after this 'one-time payment.'
Instructions and Warning
The letter instructed the doctors to personally deliver the money to a specific location near Science City on Thursday night, placing it in a black school bag. They were told to destroy the letter after reading and attach the envelope to the bag. The accused threatened to kill the doctors' families if the instructions were not followed.
Doctors' Response
Uttam Kumar Saha, director of cardiology at Peerless Hospital, also posted the letter on a WhatsApp group. Sudipta Mitra, CEO of Peerless Hospital, confirmed that several doctors at the hospital received the letter and called it 'disturbing.' He added that the doctors have lodged a police complaint. Anirban Basu, a paediatric and neonatology consultant at Desun Hospital, received the letter while attending to patients on Wednesday afternoon. 'An employee handed me the letter, and I thought it had come from the IMA. As I started reading it, I was left shocked and surprised. I have not received any threat calls, though,' Basu said.
Investigation
Police noted that both doctors' letters had the sender's name and address on the envelope, which matched the doctors' own details. This has led investigators to suspect that the real sender might be someone known to all the doctors. The detective department is now probing the case.
