Criminals lobbed bombs at the house of a wholesale fish trader in North Dinajpur on Saturday night, the second time in the past one month to do so.

Trader Sikandar Ali has alleged he had been receiving threat calls and messages from a Bangladeshi number, and the callers demanded money from him.

Ali, a resident of Matiganj, a village under the Karandighi police station of the district, has been trading fish in the wholesale market for around 20 years now.

“On July 4, I got a WhatsApp message where it was told that I had made money through wholesale fish trading and was asked to pay ₹10 lakh. Initially, I ignored it, but in due course, I got phone calls from persons speaking in Hindi and said they would kill me if I did not meet their demand. On July 7, bombs were lobbed in front of my house,” he said.

The trader filed a complaint at the local police station. Police initiated a probe and found that the number from which he had received the calls and messages was a Bangladeshi number.

“I do not have enmity with anybody and remain busy with my trade. Yesterday night (Saturday), bombs were again hurled at my house. I suspect the attackers are monitoring my activities as they have sent more messages, asking for the money. I don’t know what to do,” Ali added.

As the news spread, a police team reached the spot. The policemen collected samples of crude bombs found in the area.

Also, the attack was recorded in the CCTV camera installed in front of the house, where it was seen that criminals lobbed two bombs at the house.

Neighbour Suleman Ali sounded perturbed. “We are panicky. Ali is getting threat calls from a Bangladeshi number and bombs have been lobbed twice at his house. The police should give due importance to it to avoid any big mishap,” he said.

Police officers visited the spot and said they had registered a case. Investigations are on to trace the callers and those who threw the bombs, they said.