Sourav Ganguly and his wife receive death threats; Kolkata cops launch probe

Cricket great Sourav Ganguly and his wife, Dona Ganguly, have received death threats, with the couple lodging a complaint with the Kolkata police. The talismanic former Indian captain and BCCI president opened the threat letter at the office of the Bengal cricket president on Monday (Aug 10), which was written entirely in English and contained explicit threats to ‘eliminate’ or ‘finish’ the cricketer and his family.

The Ganguly family claimed that such letters kept coming in for the past six months, but their repeated nature and the aggressive language used in the most recent one prompted them to take the matter to the cops. Ganguly and his wife have now lodged a formal complaint at the Thakurpukur Police Station, with the state government security also being alerted and asked to take swift, necessary action.

"I wish to bring to your kind attention a matter of serious concern regarding certain threatening letters that have been received by Mr Sourav Ganguly and his family,” the complaint letter read.

"For the past couple of months, we have been receiving letters from an unknown person objectionable remarks against Mr Ganguly. Initially, we didn't pay much attention to these letters, assuming that they were merely the work of someone who disliked Mr Ganguly and was sending letters expressing his/her personal resentment.

"However, today we have received two letters addressed to Mr Sourav Ganguly and Mrs Dona Ganguly, in which the sender has not only made hate remarks against Mr Ganguly but has also issued serious threats to the life and safety of Mr Ganguly, Mrs Dona Ganguly and the people working [with/for] him.

"The nature of the threats contained in the letters has caused serious concern among us. Since the letters have now escalated from hate/derogatory communication to explicit threats to life and personal safety, we believe that the matter requires immediate police intervention and investigation," read the statement on the complaint.

"In view of the seriousness of the matter, I request you to kindly take necessary action, register and investigate the complaint, identify the person responsible for sending these threatening letters, and take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of Mr Sourav Ganguly, Mrs Dona Ganguly and the staff working with them,” the official complaint read.

Early investigation into the matter suggests that the letters were sent via courier to Ganguly’s residence, with the sender’s name on the packet listed as Arun Kumar, a Belgharia resident. The cops traced a phone number mentioned in the letter, with the search leading up to the same name.

The police are now looking into whether it was the real Arun Kumar who was sending Ganguly and his wife death threats, or if someone is using his identity to target the former Indian captain.

"We have started an investigation and are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Mr Ganguly and his family," police officials confirmed after receiving the complaint.