Vadodara, July 15 (BPNS)

 A trader in Vadodara has received three to four video and audio calls threatening to kill him and his family if he did not pay Rs 11 crore as protection money.

Manoj Sadhanani, who runs a chain of saree stores under the brand name Thakur Sarees, said in his complaint with the police, “On July 11, I received a WhatsApp audio call in which the caller identified himself as Anil alias Anthony and threatened to kill me and my family members if we do not pay him Rs 11 crore. The caller was not ready to hear about my financial condition and kept demanding the ransom amount.”

The caller also warned the complainant that “if you are detected with cancer or kidney problem, will you not get treated? I know you are using a Fortuner car, how can your financial condition be weak?”

The caller reportedly told Sadhanani that he, his wife and son were arrested in a fake note case, but he had successfully escaped from police custody and now he is in hiding. He needed the Rs 50 lakh to get acquitted in the fake note case, while another Rs 50 lakh he needed to flee the nation, the complainant said.

The caller next made a video call on July 12, in which he identified himself as Ravi Devjani, a resident of Dajinagar.

The police said the complaint was filed on Thursday night and the investigation has just begun.

The accused has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal code on charges of extortion, use of abusive words, criminal intimidation etc.