Ara: Family members of two coaching centre owners are living under constant fear after criminals threatened them with dire consequences in front of a police inspector on Tuesday for opening the coaching institute despite their threats.

The criminals had earlier demanded Rs 10 lakh from Kanhaiya Singh and Prem Kumar Singh, owners of One Step coaching centre on K.G. Road under Nawada police station. They had threatened them with dire consequences if they did not cough up the money and asked them not to open the centre till they paid up.

Owners of the coaching centre lodged an FIR against Abhishek Kumar, who had WhatsApped his demand. The centre owners also met the Bhojpur superintendent of police (SP). The SP deputed a police force near the centre.

But on Tuesday, when Nawada police station house officer (SHO) Subodh Kumar visited the centre to inquire into the matter, Abhishek called them up on WhatsApp to asked how he had dared open it despite their threat. When Prem Kumar told him the police forcibly opened the coaching centre, Abhishek once again threatened him with dire consequences.

Bhojpur SP Awakash Kumar said the criminal called four times between April 13 and 16 to demand extortion. Every time he called over WhatsApp to escape location. He said the criminal would be arrested at any cost.

The police are conducting raids at all possible places to arrest him.

Reportedly, after the arrest of Ranjeet Chaudhary, Pawan Chaudhary of Belaur village under Udwantnagar police station took charge of his gang and inducted a number of youths, including Abhishek and Neeraj, in his gang.

Abhishek gained notoriety in a very short time and is said to be an expert in demanding extortion and a good shot. He is said to have killed Prithvinath Sharma, a retired armyman, at Lodipur under Chandi police station on October 30, 2017, and Prithvinath Pandit, a sand labourer, on March 14, at Jalpura. He is also an accused in firing at the clinic of a homoeopathic doctor at Godhana road and demanded extortion from several coaching centres and the Shivam mobile shop owner.

Kanhaiya Singh of Ganghar village and Prem Kumar Singh of Shobhi Dumara under Ara Muffassil police station run a coaching centre, One Step, at K.G. Road under Nawada police station

They have branches at Bazaar Samiti in Ara, Buxar and Gaya. On April 14, Abhishek Kumar demanded Rs 10 lakh from Kanhaiya Singh as extortion, saying he and his partner would meet the same fate as Anjora Clinic and Mobile Shop owner Sumit and coaching centre owner Dheeraj if he dared inform the police.