Police have stepped up security for Saurav Ganguly after reports that the Indian cricket captain was on the kidnap list of a Pakistan-based guerrilla group, an official said on Tuesday.
``We have increased his security,‘’ Dinesh Vajpai, director-general of West Bengal police, told Reuters. He gave no details.
Ganguly is a resident of Calcutta, capital of the eastern state of West Bengal.
A relative of Ganguly, who did not wish to be identified, said that before the threat the cricketer had a single police vehicle escorting him during his travels.
``The government is acting on its own by providing more security after the threat,‘’ the relative said.
Local media, quoting police and intelligence sources, reported that the Lashkar-e-Taiba group had threatened to kidnap Ganguly and test batsman Sachin Tendulkar, among other prominent figures, to bargain for political demands.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of about a dozen militant groups fighting Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region. Its members have launched suicide attacks on Indian security camps in Kashmir over the past few months.
The Hindu newspaper said the threat to the players had come to light when police caught some alleged members of the group.