RAWALPINDI, May 22: A wealthy businessman, who is also father-in-law of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader, has been receiving threats from suspected Taliban who have been demanding Rs100 million to help them in their ‘noble cause of Jihad’.

Police said on Wednesday that a well-built, bearded man went to the business offices of Raja Hanif in his absence and delivered a letter and a Universal Serial Bus or USB (a data storage device used in computers) for him.

Mr Hanif, father-in-law of Sadaqat Abbasi who contested the May 11 elections on a PTI ticket for a Murree seat – said in his statement recorded by the police that the letter was written on the pad of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) organisation.

“It was inscribed with extortion and life threats,” he said, adding that he was stunned on seeing the USB.

The complainant said: “Two men suspected to be Taliban were visible in the USB. They were saying that they were doing Jihad and wanted to use my wealth for the noble cause.”

He had received threats twice in the last ten days, since the delivery of the letter and the USB to his offices, Mr Hanif said.

According to the police, one of the threatening calls was made from somewhere in Islamabad and the other from a phone number of Bannu.

An investigating officer said police were trying to trace the locations of the callers and other details. However, they were not sure that the threats were made by the TTP.