As the police continue trying to detect the criminals who had made an extortion call to a doctor on July 7, the Indian Medical Association's (IMA) local chapter convened a meeting of its members on Thursday.

The doctor also alleged of facing firing shots near a nursing-home at Baradwari on Wednesday.

IMA's Jamshedpur unit president Mrityunjay Singh said the meeting was called to condemn yesterday's incident  and demanded security for  doctors operating in the city. Dr S. K Kundu, an oncologist, had received an anonymous phone call on July 7, seeking a ransom of Rs 5 lakh.

Singh pointed out that they would also discuss the steps the police administration is taking in the matter of Dr Kundu.

"The incident has spread panic among the medical fraternity," said the IMA president Singh, who is posted at the MGM Medical College Hospital. The criminals showed Dr Kundu a toy-gun, which the police have also accepted having seen in the CCTV footage, then why not the same gang of criminals will not swoop over him (Dr Kundu) with real gun,” said the official.

Regretting that the doctors’ community has become a soft target, Singh demanded adequate security for the doctors. Lodging strong protest against the incident, the IMA has said if things continue to move in such a fashion, it would get difficult for doctors to perform their duty without fear.

Meanwhile, the police are making efforts to detect the elements involved in making the extortion call.

"The investigation is on. We have almost identified the criminals involved in both the incidents—making extortion call and showing toy-gun to the same doctor. We are scanning the CCTV footage for identifying the criminals," said superintendent of police (City) Subhash Chandra Jat

Jat reiterated that there was no firing not even from a toy-gun, but they have established from the CCTV footage that one of the two bike-borne criminals was carrying a toy-gun. "As per our probe, no firing has taken place as such near  Baradwari nursing-home. But still, we are trying to trace those involved in the crime," said the City SP.