Extortion: Pindi doctor receives threatening call

Doctor from Tench Bhata claims call came from Afghanistan.

RAWALPINDI: Race Course Police have registered a criminal case against a man for allegedly extorting a doctor for the benefit of an outlawed extremist group.

According to a police official, an FIR was lodged on the complaint of Dr Ameer Muhammad, a resident of Tench Bhata.

According to available information, the unidentified suspect asked the doctor to pay him money over a cell phone from Afghanistan.

Dr Muhammad appeared before the Race Course police station and lodged a complaint stating that an unknown man called him on his cell phone and demanded Rs1 million as extortion. He said the caller introduced himself as a member of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and threatened him in the event that the doctor did not make the payment. The complainant runs a clinic in Tench Bhata.

The DSP added that police were facing difficulties in obtaining the data of the cell number of the alleged extortionist, as it was difficult to find data for SIM cards used in Afghanistan.

“I will get the data of other numbers that are in contact with the extortionist sitting in Afghanistan,” DSP Kazmi asserted, adding that he was determined to track down the suspect.

Responding to a question, Kazmi said that two other men had also made complaints to the Cantonment police regarding calls from extortionists. He added that the complainants received no further calls after the police had registered criminal cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2016.