Security around the residences in Jharkhand of JMM supremo and former chief minister Shibu Soren was beefed up on Wednesday after the police learnt that a contract killer was paid Rs 5 crore to kill him.
The revelations, made in Ranchi by the district’s senior superintendent of police, Saket Kumar Singh, sent uneasy tremors among all political parties.
It was by the surveillance of a Maoist commander’s telephone conversations that the police learnt of the threat, Mr Singh said.
A shocked JMM pointed at the possible “hand of some corporate house”.
In a conversation recorded by the Jharkhand police special branch, Maoist commander Sonalal Mahto was told by one Chhotu Mahto that the latter was paid contract money of `5 crore by one Prakash Mishra, a resident of Kasmar village in Bokaro, to execute the murder of the state’s tallest tribal leader. The conversation reportedly took place in the last week of January.
“`5 crore is no small sum and it cannot be the act of a madman. There seems to be a big conspiracy. We see the hand of some corporate house,” said JMM central general secretary Supriya Bhattacharya.