The Tribune, January 5, 2004

Militant group seeks Rs 35 lakh from trader
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, January 4
A militant group, Khalistan Commando Force, has demanded a sum of Rs 35 lakh from Mr Maan Singh, a trader of Pehowa, in this district. According to police sources, Mr Maan Singh has been threatened that all his family members would be eliminated if he failed to pay the money. As per information reaching here today, Mr Maan Singh, a resident of Bhattmajra village, near Pehowa, received a letter from the militant group on December 22 last. In this letter, a sum of Rs 35 lakh had been demanded from him and the group had threatened to murder his only son if he did not pay the money and he would have to pay double the ransom amount (Rs 70 lakh) after that.

Initially the family took the letter lightly but all of them got terrified when an unidentified person fired at the main door of their house and threw another threatening letter in their residence on December 29. The second letter mentioned that if a sum of Rs 70 lakh was not paid within a week, then all family members would be murdered. Immediately after this the Pehowa police registered a case and submitted the letters to the district police chief, Mr K. K. Rao. When contacted Mr Rao said after obtaining the letters from the complainant, a case, in this connection, had been registered and investigation had been initiated. Security cover had also been provided to the complainant at his residence and shop, he added.