Patna, May 3: Ashwamegh Devi, the JD (U) MP from Ujiyarpur, received a text message at 9am today threatening her and her family.
“It threatened to kill my family members and me,” she told The Telegraph. She added that she did not know why she had received such a threat.
“My rivalry with other persons might be political, but it has never been personal,” she said.
Ashwamegh also said she had apprised the Samastipur superintendent of police of the incident and had lodged a formal FIR. The JD (U) MP said she had received the threatening text message from the number 8051403479.
When this correspondent dialled the number, the mobile was still on. However, the owner did not respond to the call.
The JD (U) MP is not the only VVIP to receive such a threat in recent times. On March 25, health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey received a threatening text message that said he would be knocked off in 48 hours if he did not cough up Rs 20 lakh.
As the police swung into action it turned out that the call was made by an unsuccessful filmmaker Sunil Kumar Rai to get rid of his girlfriend.
Sunil had also threatened Munger deputy inspector-general of police, Khagaria superintendent of police and the district commissioner of Munger.
Last month, RJD MLA from Jagdishpur in Ara district Dinesh Kumar Singh received a text message threatening to kill him.
Investigations revealed that a woman, Kanchan Devi, had done the deed to get rid of her daughter’s boyfriend.
“Receiving threats through mobile calls and text messages is quite common. Most of the cases may not be actually reported because the MLA knows that most of them are not of serious nature,” said a NDA MLA, pointing out that even the chief minister’s official residence had received a threat on phone from a person from Nalanda.
The MLA added that he could not avoid receiving calls because he had to keep in touch with the people. Some of the MPs and MLAs keep their mobiles with their bodyguards to avoid threats.
“Whenever such cases come, we find that the text messages are made with the aim to implicate others. A threatening text message to an MP or an MLA triggers quick reaction from the police,” said director-general of police Neel Mani. He added that the police would soon find out the culprits behind today’s threat messages.