KOLKATA: Former men's Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, and his wife Dona Ganguly have received death threats, prompting concern for the family in Kolkata on Monday.
The former BCCI President's private secretary, Tania Bhattacharya, lodged a complaint with Thakurpukur police station on Monday, seeking an investigation into the matter.
According to the complaint, a letter threatening the former India skipper and his wife was opened at the office of the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Monday.
The letter contains threats to “eliminate” or “finish” Ganguly and his family.
Bhattacharya alleged that such letters had been arriving for the past six months. They were initially dismissed as messages from overzealous fans, but the repeated nature of the letters and the aggressive language in the latest ones prompted the family to approach the police.
“I wish to bring to your kind attention a matter of serious concern regarding certain threatening letters that have been received by Mr Sourav Ganguly and his family," the complaint states.
"For the past couple of months, we have been receiving letters from unknown person objectionable remarks against Mr Ganguly. Initially we didn't pay much attention to these letters, assuming that they were merely the work of someone who disliked Mr Ganguly and was sending letters expressing his/her personal resentment," it states.
"However, today we have received two letters addressed to Mr. Sourav Ganguly and Mrs Dona Ganguly, in which the sender has not only made hate remarks against Mr Ganguly but has also issued serious threats to the life and safety of Mr Ganguly, Mrs Dona Ganguly and the people working [with/for] him."
"The nature of the threats contained in the letters has caused serious concern among us. Since the letters have now escalated from hate/derogatory communication to explicit threats to life and personal safety, we believe that the matter requires immediate police intervention and investigation," read the statement on the complaint.
"In view of the seriousness of the matter, I request you to kindly take necessary action, register and investigate the complaint, identify the person responsible for sending these threatening letters, and take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of Mr Sourav Ganguly, Mrs Dona Ganguly and the staff working with them," the complaint adds.
A preliminary probe suggests the letters were sent by courier to the Ganguly residence. The sender’s name on the packet was listed as Arun Kumar, a resident of Belgharia.
Investigators traced a phone number mentioned in the letter, while a 'Truecaller' search returned the same name.
West Bengal Police have started an inquiry into whether the real Arun Kumar sent the letters or whether someone is using his identity to target the former India captain.
