Police file FIR after message warns of threat to four sitting, two former Karnataka High Court judges

The message also had five suspicious mobile phone numbers and contained the threat.

Karnataka High Court. Credit: DH Photo

Bengaluru police have registered an FIR against unknown people after a WhatsApp message threatened to kill six sitting and former judges of the Karnataka High Court if a ransom of Rs 50 lakh was not transferred to a Pakistani bank account.

The Central Cyber, Economic, and Narcotic Crime police registered the FIR following a complaint from K Muralidhar, the public relations officer at the High Court of Karnataka.

Muralidhar told police he received the WhatsApp message in English, Hindi and Urdu from an unknown number ([phone]) around 7 pm on July 12. It instructed him to transfer Rs 50 lakh to PK52ABPA0010074397190010, an international account number at Pakistan's ABL Allied Bank Limited.

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In the case of failure to transfer the money, the message warned that four sitting High Court judges — Justices Mohammad Nawaz, H T Narendra Prasad, H P Sandesh and K Natarajan — and two former judges Justices Ashok G Nijagannavar and B Veerappa — would be killed by the 'Dubai gang'.

The message also listed five Indian phone numbers (9456646314, 9596358591, 8979422675, 9548912157 and 7078397704), stating "Yah Indian Hamare aapke Shooter Hain" (these are our Indian shooters).

Police have taken up a case under IPC sections related to criminal intimidation, criminal intimidation by anonymous communication and intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace. They have also invoked Sections 66F (cyber terrorism) and 75 (cyber offences committed outside India) of the Information Technology Act. Further investigations are under way.

Muralidhar didn't respond to phone calls for comment.