Ranchi, Feb. 7: A second call for ransom , received late last evening, has sent the family of Prabhakar Sinha here scurrying back to the police. The abductors apparently claimed that Sinha was safe and that the family had a week?s time to arrange for the ransom.

The abducted IT professional?s brother, Padmakar, said from Patna that the family was relieved to receive the call because it meant that Prabhakar had still not been harmed. The abductors said they would call up again to inform how and where the ransom is to be paid, he recalled. The family was also threatened that if they tried any ?trick?, the abducted man would pay for it.

The abductors said that they had posted men to keep the Sinha household in Patna and Ranchi under surveillance. ? Your movements are being monitored; therefore do not try anything funny,? they warned.

Virendra Sinha, father of Prabhakar Sinha, however, claimed that it was not possible for the family to arrange for the ransom at such short notice. ? We have informed the police and they must act now,? he wailed. Patna police, however, appears to suspect that Prabhakar Sinha could have disappeared on his own.

A police officer said on Monday, ?Our investigation so far has shown that the man had borrowed heavily from different people and had not been able to pay back the amounts. His business was floundering and creditors had been pressurising him ; so it is entirely possible that he made up the ?abduction? cry to fend off the creditors.?

Police also seem to be examining closely the abducted person?s relationship with a middle-aged woman, who is also in the computer business. The police officer said, ? we now know that the two were intimate but we do not have any evidence that it had anything to do with the alleged kidnapping.?

Sinha?s family members are, however, agitated over police inaction.

?The woman the police are referring to and Prabhakar were professional acquaintances and she herself has told the police that besides the business relationship, they had no affair. But police are busy insinuating one far-fetched motive after another,? said Virendra Sinha.

? Time is running out and they must rescue Prabhakar first and then look for motives,? said the distraught father.

ENDS