ISLAMABAD, Sept 21: Raja Asif, a businessman, had to leave Pakistan after he received a call on August 12, 2013.

The caller, who was using a phone number of Afghanistan, introduced himself as ‘Khalid’ and instructed Mr Asif, who owns two plazas in Saddar, Rawalpindi, to pay Rs100 million within a week.

Khalid claimed to be calling from South Waziristan and said that to prove he was serious, his colleagues had blasted a hand grenade near a crane owned by Raja Asif.

On August 13, Khalid called again as a reminder, and later contacted Mohammad Iqbal, the manager of a restaurant next to Mr Asif’s plaza.

While talking to Dawn, Mr Iqbal said the extortionist called him on August 20 and he also received a few SMS from Khalid which were to be forwarded to Mr Asif.

“Through the SMS, the caller told Raja Asif that the extortion amount had doubled to Rs200 million and that they would kill him if the amount was not paid on time,” he said.

“I conveyed the message to Asif and a few days later, he decided to leave the country for the United Arab Emirates. I believe the criminals called me because my restaurant is adjacent to Raja Asif’s plaza and they (the extortionists) wanted to show him (Mr Asif) that they know everything about him,” he said.

Choudhry Khurram Aftab, owner of a restaurant in Saddar, came to know of the incident and decided to inform the police. He also raised the issue in a meeting of traders with senior police officials.

“The police could not do anything because the number was from Afghanistan and it was not possible to trace the culprits through phone,” he said.

Apart from Raja Asif, several other traders in Rawalpindi have also been facing threats from people demanding extortion money.

A majority of these traders pay the said amount without informing the police as they do not trust the law enforcement agencies.

A trader, requesting not to be identified said his brother-in-law received a similar call.

“They told my brother-in-law about all his family members and even the time of departure and arrival of their school-going children,” he said.

“He had no choice but to pay the amount to save his children. We cannot trust the police because they spend more time protecting VIPs and do not take immediate action,” he said.

Likewise, the former president of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce (RCCI), Asad Mashadi, said he knew traders who claimed to have received such threatening calls but had not informed the police.

When contacted, President RCCI Manzar Khurshid said a meeting was already scheduled next week with the City Police Officer (CPO) to discuss the issue.

“I personally feel every trader should inform the police after receiving such calls because only then would the police be able to help. They cannot take action against suspects if complaints are not filed,” he said.

The RCCI president said security issues were present through out the country and it was not easy for the police to deal with them. “The trader community hopes that extortionist groups will soon be behind bars,” he added.