Gorakhpur doctor receives Rs 15 lakh extortion threat, family targeted

Gorakhpur: A case has been registered against an unidentified person following a complaint by a city-based doctor who alleged that he received a call demanding Rs 15 lakh in extortion, with threats to shut down his hospital and kill his family if the money was not paid, police said on Monday.

Dr Kumar, who runs Mansi Hospital in the Shahpur area, submitted a complaint to Gorakhpur SSP Kaustubh on Monday afternoon, seeking action against the caller and police protection for his family.

According to the complaint, the doctor, a resident of Jungle Salikram in Shivpur Shahbazganj under Shahpur Police Station area, received a call at 10.46 pm on February 12 from someone who identified himself as Rahul Sharma and allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh, news agency PTI reported.

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He said that “Sharma” warned him that if he did not do his bidding, he would force him to shut down his hospital and kill his entire family.

The doctor received another call at 11.32 pm on February 14. The caller reiterated the threat and used abusive language, the police said, citing the complaint.

He further added that his family has been living in fear since the calls. On the directions of the SSP, the crime branch and Shahpur police have launched an investigation.

Call detail records (CDR) are being examined to verify the caller's identity and determine whether he is acting alone or as part of a gang attempting to extort money. Additional SP City Abhinav Tyagi said the accused will be arrested soon.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a nephrologist running a private clinic in Dhanbad has allegedly received a death threat after a handwritten warning letter was found pasted outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of his facility, raising concerns about the safety of doctors in clinical practice.

The incident took place at Kidney Care Clinic, operated by Dr Kumar at Mahakaleshwar Complex near Birsa Munda Park in the Nawadih area. The threatening letter was reportedly discovered late on the night of February 9 outside the ICU, causing panic in the surrounding locality.

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