'Pay Tk20,000 or your family will be killed': Extortion letters spark fear among 5 families in Natore
The anonymous letters ordered recipients to send Tk20,000 via bKash within 24 hours, warning that family members would be killed if the demand was not met.
Anonymous extortion letters demanding Tk20,000 from each recipient and threatening to kill family members if the money is not paid have sparked fear among five families in Natore's Lalpur upazila.
The letters were found at around 11pm on 1 August in Palpara of Baknai village, where around 55 Hindu families reside, according to police and local residents.
The first letter was discovered on the veranda of Narayan Kumar Pal's house by his son, Arun Kumar Pal. As news spread, identical letters were found at the homes of Ajamil Pal, Subrata Pal, Adhir Pal and Shasthi Pal, reports Prothom Alo.
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Signed in the name of "Seven Star Authority," the letters instructed the recipients to send Tk20,000 through bKash within 24 hours.
The letters warned that failure to comply would result in family members being killed. They also threatened recipients not to disclose the matter to anyone, saying that if they did, "your family's bodies will be left on the road."
Attempts to contact the mobile number mentioned in the letters at around 4:45pm yesterday (2 August) were unsuccessful, as the phone was switched off.
The incident has created panic among Hindu families in the village, with residents demanding the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of those responsible.
Dipendranath Saha, president of the Lalpur Upazila Puja Udjapan Parishad, said he informed the upazila administration and the officer-in-charge of Lalpur Police Station after learning about the incident.
"We want a swift investigation so those responsible can be identified and brought to justice. Otherwise, the fear among our community members will not subside," he said.
Police visited the village on the night the letters were discovered, seized the documents and launched an investigation.
Lalpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shafiqul Islam said the case is being treated with the highest priority.
"We have seized the letters and launched an investigation to trace their origin and identify those involved. Security has also been strengthened in the area," he said.
The OC added that the bKash-linked mobile number mentioned in the letters is currently switched off and was registered in the Sylhet region.
