Jhalmuri-seller of ‘Modi fame’ receives death threats from Pak, B’desh

Jhargram: Bikram Kumar Sau, the jhalmuri seller from Jhargram who shot to fame after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped at his stall during an election rally last month, has allegedly received death threats from numbers linked to Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Sau has lodged a complaint at Jhargram police station following repeated threatening messages and WhatsApp calls. According to the complaint, Sau received messages warning that his shop would be blown up.



One message from a Pakistani number read: "Tera shop hamare target pe hai jese he rush hoga bum se ura denge. (Your shop is on our focus. We will blow it up when there's a rush)". He also alleged that weapons were displayed during a WhatsApp video call in which he was threatened with murder. "I have received several calls and messages since that day. Suddenly, on Sunday, I saw a message from a Pakistani number threatening to blow up my shop with a bomb. Then a WhatsApp video call showed weapons and threatened to kill me. After that, a call from Bangladesh asked if I was still alive," Sau said.

"I filed a complaint at Jhargram police station on Thursday. The IC and other police teams visited the shop. Two security personnel are stationed at the shop, but I feel scared when I close the shop at night and return home on cycle. I appeal to the PM to look into my security," Sau added.

On April 19, during a campaign rally in Jhargram, PM Modi stepped out of his convoy and ate jhalmuri from Sau's roadside stall. The episode quickly went viral and became a talking point during the Bengal election campaign.

The police and cybercrime experts have started investigating the incident. The numbers from which the threats were made are also being traced. A district police officer said, "A complaint has been filed, and all aspects of security are being reviewed."