Terror on the line

Source: India today

It's fear over the city. The recent revelation that at least three top businessmen of Kolkata have received extortion threats from the Indian Mujahideen (IM) has sent shock waves throughout the business community of West Bengal. More so, because this is the first time after the abduction of shoe giant Khadim's owner Partha Roy Burman in 2001, that any serious threat has been made to industry by terrorist outfits as significant as the IM. Top police officers will not talk on the record but what they are saying in private could be deeply disturbing. For one, apparently, the threat calls made by extortion king Amir Reza Khan were only three of those reported; at other times industrialists have chosen to pay up and keep quiet. The cash has almost always been paid in Delhi after making secret trips to the Capital, paying up and returning without making any public noises. Police sources have confirmed "suspicious money transfers" in Delhi accounts but will not elaborate. After the attack on the American Centre Why Kolkata suddenly, where it is generally believed that business barons are not so plentiful? Police sources say the reason is two-fold. Reza was based in Kolkata for decades before he fled to Karachi after he and Aftab Ansari (now on death row) masterminded the American Centre attack in 2002, and because the Mujahideen was facing tough times in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat, their main areas of operation. "Kolkata is a soft target for them and the businessmen here are clueless as to how to handle such threats. More often than not, they pay up secretly," says a source. Industrialists, usually a discreet lot, do not take the path of valour. One high profile businessman en route to Delhi reacted angrily, "No, I have not got any call and I am not going to Delhi to pay up. This is a business meeting." Most believe that hiring bodyguards is not an option either. "You only manage to attract more attention," says a businessman. Sources in the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, while admitting that they are shaken, said Kolkata is now slowly turning into a prime target. "Outside of Jammu & Kashmir, the externally sponsored jihadis have always concentrated on Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Jaipur. Kolkata and Chennai have been off their radar. Those days are obviously over," said one. Interpol's red corner notice on Reza Businessmen are more scared because of the security conditions. For example, the state chief secretary, Asok Mohan Chakrabarti, while meeting members of the families of those who had received extortion threats on March 2, issued a glib statement: "I have asked all of them to take care of their personal safety. They should take care not to move out after midnight." Laughable but true, considering he said this on record. Obviously, the chief secretary is thinking in base terms because such advice could only be given in cases like the infotech manager Sandipan Das, who was kidnapped and released between Friday and Sunday. Of course, Das had been out late from office but to suggest that topnotch industrialists like Sanjeev Goenka and Sanjay Budhia should not take midnight strolls, makes the administration look downright silly. The statement shall, however, cheer up those in Karachi and Dubai from where these calls have originated. Business barons, now in Delhi for the Confederation of Indian Industry national council meeting, had an informal discussion on security in Kolkata and the consensus was to "play it cool". One of those present said, "We request the media not to hype matters and make it look as if we are cowering, because we are not." The three at the receiving end of the calls belong to either the shoe business or the hotel sector as both are soft targets. While a Khadim may not be top bracket in India business, it is a big name locally as are the other two latest victims, Elite (shoes, again) and Hotel Hindustan International. Khadim is in the dock this time too. Another businessman from Howrah has already paid up and the police are not talking about him. Obviously, the four had been chosen with care. Partha Roy Burman The money sought for ranges from Rs 40 crore to Rs 100 crore. The IM is also in close contact with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, which has sleeper cells in Kolkata and has infiltrated innumerable non-governmental organisations. However, the way Reza is going about things this time is ominous. Familiar with the Kolkata terrain and having a point to prove here after having made good his escape in 2002, he could be thinking in terms of an attack on the city, now that the Indian Mujahideen role in the Pune blasts has been all but confirmed. For that he needs money and for that, he could be finding his home turf the safest bet yet.