Blackmail

On 9^th July 2012 early in the morning I got the following SMS from +918260165845 :

"WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT YOU DO. ALL WE WANT YOU GIVE US THE MONEY AND JOIN OUR GANG"

I ignored this SMS thinking it to be a mischief by a  rival. Next day I got a call from that number. The person on the other end was speaking in Hindi. He  gave me death threats over the phone. He hurt my male instinct. I was furious and shouted back at him. I said  "I as well got my boys with me. You come and let’s see  what harm you could impose".

The hot conversation followed by yet another SMS : 

"THANK YOU FOR  INVITING  ME. NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHEN  I REACH. NOW YOU GO AND INFORM POLICE AND THEY AS      WELL CAN'T HARM US - LAL SALAM"

When I called back he said, “Lal Salam. Tell me how much you are going to give us". I was speechless. I pleaded I am just a writer. How could I serve you. He said, then watch us.

I had sympathy for this blackmailer for his unprofessional approach. Because he asked, how much I am going to pay. As an insurance agent of LIC I always tend to do my homework before approaching a potential customer. I judge the monetary value of a customer before quoting my insurance premium. But this blackmailer unable to judge what I am worth.

Very next day he sent yet another SMS saying :

"YOU ARE LEFT WITH FIVE DAYS. SEARCH WHO WILL SAFEGUARD  YOU – LAL SALAM"

Now I guessed something fishy. I was restless and  showed this SMS to my Dad at noon hours when he returned from the clinic. He was furious. He asked me, do you know who this LAL SALAM is. I told by name he seems to be a Muslim. He said you stupid, the slogan of   Maoists is Lal Salam. Though very brave, on hearing our conversation my Mother started worrying. She said, she can’t lose her son all again for the second time.

My Father issued the summon for me. He asked me to go underground and not to step outside the home for  couple of weeks. He asked me to lodge the FIR. I went to Barpali police station to lodge the FIR. The Officer in Charge [OIC] Inspector Meher immediately called the number from which I was getting the threats. But it was switched off. He called the District Superintendent of Police [SP] at Bargarh to intimate the gravity of the situation. The SP was a lady and she collected the phone number from which I was getting the calls.

As such I am a person having no friends in life. To ease my heart,  I expressed my anguish to Bablu Tripathy our youth leader of Congress. Immediately he got into action to safeguard his Kiran Da. He courted the premises of the police station for two days. By next evening the police traced  the owner of the phone number to be someone by the name of Rudra Dash of Balangir. But no one by that name exist at Balangir. The SIM was issued with a fake ID proof. More to it the calls have been transmitted from the Reliance Tower of Nand Lal Sahu’s building. The OIC acquired the summary of all the phone numbers with whom this culprit was speaking to. All those persons confessed that even they are as well getting the life threats for a ransom. Than OIC had a sigh of relief that it is not Maoists but some anti socials to extort the money. Off late the goons of UP and Bihar made Jharsuguda and the surrounding area as their base camp ever since the rampant industrialisation drive by the Government of Odisha.

I walked back to home in the deserted road fearlessly all alone from Police Station around at 10.30 PM in the late night as if I am the King and Barpali is my Kingdom. And this writer is unhurt and alive even if one year has been past ever since the happening of these bizarre incidents. How ridiculous, 15 years back when I was sick and jobless the loved one ill treated me, but now when I am sound and successful the world has got an evil eye upon me.

kiranbima@gmail.com 

WhatsApp# +918249314972

E.Kiran Mohan(The Blogger)

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)

Tehsil Chowk,

At/PO. BARPALI – 768029

Dist. Bargarh, Odisha, India