Bangalore: State Home Minister KJ George has informed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed to launch a crackdown on underworld elements making extortion calls to businessmen.

The Home Minister was speaking to media men after meeting senior officials as well as Legislators from the coastal and Malnad areas and holding discussions on the problems faced by entrepreneurs due to extortion calls made by criminals in the name of underworld elements from Karnataka who are based abroad.

He said the SIT will identify the criminals behind the extortion calls and take steps to apprehend them.  With arecanuts too fetching good prices, even growers are getting threat calls demanding hafta, the minister said and asked businessmen to immediately inform the police about any such call. He also assured that the identities of the informants will not be revealed. The minister further said even  ministers and elected representatives have been receiving threat calls and  pointed out that he too had received such calls.

The meeting also discussed the need to seek the help of the Centre and Interpol to nab the criminals.

Among those who interacted with the  home minister included State Ministers from DK namely Ramanatha Rai, Abhayachandra Jain, UT Khader, MLA  Shakuntala Shetty, DGP Lalrokhuma Pachuau, ADGP Alok Mohan, Bangalore Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar and other officials.