Monday, February 7 2005 15:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Extortionists have threatened two senior doctors of the State capital with dire consequences if they fail to pay Rs ten lakh each as 'Rangdari' (extortion) prompting the India Medical Association (IMA) to petition the top police authorities seeking bodyguards for their colleagues.

IMA (Bihar chapter) General Secretary Sahajanand Prasad Singh told sources in Patna today (Feb 7, 2005) that Dr B K Khetan and Dr Manoj Kumar Verma both assistant professors of the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) in Patna received threats to their lives from the "extortionists" who identified themselves as Vidhayaks (MLA). They had sought Rs ten lakh from each of them to save their lives, he said.

"We have approached the SSP (Patna) N H Khan and other top authorities to provide the two doctors security-guards immediately and apprehend the extortionists," Singh said.

Dr Khetan, who is in the pathology department of the hospital, received the threat call at his Doctors Colony residence in Kankerbagh on Feb 1, 2005, while his colleague Verma of the ENT department of the hospital had received a similar call at his PC colony residence in Kankerbagh on January 26.

"The callers have demanded Rs ten lakh from each of us," they said adding that they had already lodged complaints with their concerned police stations about threats to their lives.

When contacted, SSP Khan said he ordered an investigation and said adequate security would be provided to the doctors.

The extortionists had on Diwali day last year killed noted surgeon A K Agarwal at his Kadamkuan nursing home following his refusal to pay Rangdari.