Silchar: Assam Police launched an investigation after a suspected terror group demanded Rs 3 lakh from a businessman in southern Assam’s Cachar district earlier this week.
The businessman, Nirmal Roy (60),who hails from Talkar Grant, lodged an FIR at the Gumrah police investigation centre on Wednesday. In his statement to police, Roy said he found a letter on the verandah of his house around 7 am on Tuesday. The letter claimed to be from the “All Assam Alfa Group B 20 Forse” demanding Rs 3 lakh from him (Roy). The letter said the group had been keeping tabs on Roy and his family members, and he, along with his family members, would be killed if he did not pay the money by January 27.
The letter also mentioned the group would bomb Roy’s house if he told about the letter to anyone or reported the matter to the police.
Sources said a team of policemen, led by Gumrah police investigation centre’s in-charge Manab Jyoti Malakar, reached Talkar Grant and conducted a preliminary inquiry.
Another source said police found that the letter mentioned a culvert near a car servicing centre, about 400m from Roy’s house, (where Roy was asked to keep the money), but, in reality, there is no such culvert near that servicing centre. The source added that Roy had some issues with a teacher in the Rajpur area (Katigorah assembly constituency) around two months ago about a financial matter. The police are probing whether that incident is linked with Tuesday’s letter-related incident.
Nirmal Roy, who owns land and betelnut gardens, told EastMojo on Thursday that the incident (of getting the letter) has resulted in fear and anxiety among his family members. When asked if he has any enemies related to his business or if he has/had any issues with anyone (who might have sent the letter), he said he does not have any enemies. “I have always helped people and never had any enmity with anyone. I don’t have suspicion on anyone,” Roy said. He added that his health condition, which has been poor for the past few months, has worsened since Tuesday morning (after he found the letter).
When contacted, the Gumrah police in-charge, Manab Jyoti Malakar, told EastMojo there is no terror/militant group in Cachar or Barak Valley by the name of “All Assam Alfa Group B 20 Forse”. “We have communicated with intelligence agencies. There is no information about any such organisation,” Malakar said.
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Malakar said Nirmal Roy had some financial transaction-related issues (with people) in the past. The police are probing if that has any connection with the letter. Roy has been asked to come to the police investigation centre for interrogation to know if he has doubts about anyone, but his health condition is not good now, he said.
Nobody had been arrested in connection with the matter, as per the last reports available.
Asked if the family was under police protection, he responded in the negative but added that the police are keeping a close watch and have activated their sources in that area, he said.
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