The doctors' community is enraged with extortion demands to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) superintendent Lakhendra Prasad in which the caller asked him to cough up Rs 5 lakh or face consequences.

Lakhendra received four of these calls between 9.15am and 10.20am on Tuesday. The caller, who did not identify himself, threatened him. He lodged the FIR at Gandhi Maidan police station and around 11pm, police caught up with the extortionist in the area. The caller was identified as small time furniture store owner Munna Sharma, a resident of Naubatpur, who wished to open a bigger store. He had zeroed in on Lakhendra as an easy target after noting down the superintendent's number on a visit to PMCH for treatment a few days ago.

"Munna, son of Nageshwar Mistri, had gone to PMCH a few days ago and noted down the superintendent's number from the hospital walls where his number was flashed," said senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj. "He thought he could open a bigger furniture store with money extracted from Lakhendra, who he considered an easy target. He was arrested near Gandhi Maidan after the police tracked his mobile tower location."

The doctor community is shocked with this latest attack on one of them. They demanded the government to instil a sense of fear among criminals. General secretary of Bihar Health Services Association Ranjit Kumar accused the government of being inactive as far as security of doctors was concerned. "The case of the PMCH superintendent is an exception - in most cases, the police have not been able to nab the mastermind of crimes against doctors."

Ranjit said his association had provided the health department a list of super-sensitive hospitals where armed forces were needed to be deputed, but claimed that the government did not take notice of their appeal.

"Most of the government hospitals are running with homeguard protection. The homeguards hardly do anything when attendants and unruly elements create ruckus at the hospital," Ranjit said. "The government should remove the homeguards even if they can't depute armed forces at hospitals because their salary is just a waste of money."

On January 26, a cop allegedly assaulted the medical officer in charge of Ranipur primary health centre in Madhepuraleading to only the suspension of the officer, Ranjit said. "There have been many incidents of assault on doctors by patients' attendants but in most of the cases the criminals are not booked under the Bihar Medical Service Institution and Person Protection Act, which provides legal protection to doctors in cases of vandalism," he added. "Even though in few cases, people are booked, they get bail even though the act has non-bailable provisions."

Indian Medical Association-Bihar president Sachchidanand Kumar said doctors are scared after a series of extortion calls made to the community. "In the last year, more than 15 extortion calls have been made to the doctor community in the state. The state IMA appeals to chief minister Nitish Kumar to instil a sense of fear among criminals so that they think twice before harming doctors," he said.

The police, however, claimed it was acting swiftly in cases against doctors. Maharaaj pointed at how Munna was nabbed within 24 hours of the FIR lodged by Lakhendra. "We are going to felicitate the team that nabbed Munna," he said.