2 arrested for threatening to kill vocalist Ustad Rashid Khan

Kolkata, October 16

Two persons were arrested for allegedly threatening to kill renowned vocalist Ustad Rashid Khan, police said on Saturday.

The duo, former employees of Khan, also demanded money from him, they said.

One of the accused, an ex-office assistant of the ace musician, was apprehended from Uttar Pradesh, while his former driver was nabbed from Kolkata, a senior police officer said.

“They initially demanded Rs 50 lakh as ‘protection money’ and later reduced the amount to Rs 20 lakh, and threatened to kill Khan if the sum was not paid,” he said.

Khan, a stalwart of Indian classical music honoured with the Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, told reporters that his family members had filed a complaint at the Netaji Nagar police station on October 9.

“My daughter could make out from the messages that they were our former driver and his assistant. They had threatened to attack my family with snipers and drones and we couldn’t ignore this,” he said.

An investigation is under way, the police officer added. PTI