Three city-based industrialists have allegedly been getting extortion calls from a banned Islamic terror outfit for the past few days. They were threatened of abduction unless they cough up a hefty sum. Two of them have filed police complaints on Monday.
The callers, allegedly claimed to be calling up on behalf of Indian Mujahideen chief Amir Reza Khan, asked the industrialists to pay up crores of rupees failing which they would be abducted.
It is believed that the money demanded will be used for meeting the legal expenses of Aftab Ansari, a Dubai-based don, who was sentenced to death by a lower court here for masterminding the terror attack on the American Centre here in January 2002.
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The Calcutta High Court upheld his death sentence during a hearing on February 5. He was also sentenced to life by another lower court here in May 2009 in connection with the abduction of Khadim owner Partha Roy Burman in 2001.
Though the city police remained tight-lipped regarding the origin of the extortion calls or the amount of money demanded, they confirmed that the calls were indeed made. The case was handed over to the Special Task Force of the city police. “Two cases against receiving extortion calls have been filed at separate police stations during the day. But I cannot divulge further details about the case right now,” Deputy Commissioner (Detective department) Damayanti Sen said.
The Amir Reza Khan link in the case is significant as he is the younger brother of Asif Reza Khan, who ran an extortion racket before being killed by the Gujarat police in an encounter in 2001. Since then the extortion network is being run by Amir. Ansari had confessed before the trial court that he indulged in the terror attack on the American Centre to avenge the encounter death of Asif.
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