In a chilling throwback to the dreaded days of Chambal dacoits, a sitting judge in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh has allegedly received a ransom note demanding a staggering ₹5 billion, with the sender brazenly identifying himself as a member of the notorious bandit leader Hanuman's gang.
The threat letter, sent through a speed post from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, landed in the court of the First Civil Judge of Tyothar, Mohini Bhadoria, shaking the corridors of justice. "If you want to stay alive, you will have to pay the money," the note said.
The sender further ordered that the ransom be delivered to the Badgad forest in Uttar Pradesh at 7:45 pm on September 1, warning of dire consequences if the demand was ignored.
Startled by the threat, Judge Bhadoria immediately filed a complaint. Superintendent of Police Vivek Singh immediately set up a special investigation squad.
"An Hon'ble judge has received a registered mail containing a threat and a demand for ₹5 billion. On the basis of the letter, we have formed a team for investigation; a team has also been sent to UP. A suspect has been identified. Success is expected soon," Mr Singh told NDTV.
According to police sources, the letter was dispatched from Prayagraj and bore the signature of someone claiming allegiance to the "Hanuman gang" - a name once synonymous with bandit terror in central India. Investigators have already zeroed in on a suspect from Prayagraj district, with a police team dispatched across state lines to nab him.
The case, which falls under Sohagi police station area bordering Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, triggered alarm among judicial and law enforcement circles. With the ransom note reviving memories of India's dark dacoit era, security around judges and court premises in Rewa has been tightened.
A formal case has been registered under Section 308(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), that deals with extortion by threatening to falsely implicate someone in a grave offense (punishable with death, life imprisonment, or 10 years).
