English Bazar Municipality chair gets extortion call
Times of India | 22 February 2025
Malda: English Bazar Municipality chairperson and former minister Krishnendu Choudhury got text messages and then a call, threatening him to pay Rs 5 crore or face dire consequences, prompting him to report the matter to the police on Friday.
The threat, apparently from "Pradip" of "D Compane" (sic), comes in the backdrop of successive attacks on senior Trinamool netas in Malda. Choudhury's security was increased and the call was traced to Mothabari.
Choudhury first received some messages on Tuesday from an unknown number, but he did not see them. On Friday morning, when he was at his farmhouse off Malda town, he got a call. The caller, speaking in Hindi, accused Choudhury of not responding to his message and demanded Rs 5 crore by Saturday morning. The ex-minister and his family were threatened with dire consequences if he failed to meet the demand.
Talking to reporters later, he said: "I don't have any idea who the caller is and I'm not scared either. But I'm worried for my family, and as my children don't live here, I have a natural concern. I hope the police will act."
A high-level police team went to Choudhury's residence and increased his security. Later, a team from the Special Task Force also came to talk to him.
On Jan 2, Trinamool Congress's Malda vice-president Dulal Sarkar was gunned down. A fortnight later, another Trinamool neta was hacked to death. After this, MLA and former minister Sabitri Mitra's car was attacked in the same district.
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