Former India captain Sourav Ganguly and his wife, Bharatanatyam dancer and Bengal cricket administrator Dona Ganguly, have approached the Kolkata Police after receiving a letter containing explicit death threats. The couple lodged a formal complaint at Thakurpukur Police Station, setting off an investigation into who sent it and why.
What Happened
According to multiple reports, the letter was opened on Monday, August 10, at the office of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), where Ganguly remains a towering figure even years after his BCCI presidency. Written entirely in English, the letter is reported to have used unambiguous language threatening to “eliminate” or “finish” the former captain and his family. Given the specificity and tone of the threat, the Gangulys chose not to let this one pass and went straight to the police.
Not an Isolated Letter
What has alarmed investigators is that this was not a one-off. The family has told police that similar letters have been arriving intermittently for roughly six months. Earlier ones were apparently vague enough to be dismissed as cranks. This latest letter’s aggressive, direct language is what pushed the Gangulys to formalise a complaint rather than continue to quietly monitor the situation.
What Kolkata Police Are Doing
A senior officer at Thakurpukur Police Station confirmed that the letters, their point of origin, and the courier trail used to deliver them are all being examined. Preliminary findings reportedly point to Belgharia in North 24 Parganas as the source of at least one of the letters, though investigators are still working to establish a firm chain of evidence before naming anyone formally. State government security agencies have also been alerted, given Ganguly’s public profile and his continuing association with CAB and BCCI circles.
As with any active investigation, Kolkata Police have not released the identity of a suspect, and no arrest had been confirmed at the time of writing. Kolkatadekho.com will update this report as the probe progresses.
Why This Matters to Kolkata
Ganguly is not just a former India captain to this city — he is a Behala boy who went on to captain the national team, later ran Indian cricket’s governing body, and remains closely tied to Eden Gardens and CAB’s day-to-day affairs. Threats against him land differently here than they would for a purely national figure; CAB’s office and Eden Gardens are part of the city’s everyday landscape, and security around both tends to tighten whenever incidents like this surface. It also comes at a time when Kolkata Police have had to deal with a string of threat-letter cases involving high-profile residents, from politicians to civic figures, underscoring a pattern investigators are increasingly having to take seriously rather than dismiss as isolated cranks. West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose raised similar security concerns with Kolkata Police in 2024, and the force has previously used tools like prohibitory orders under Section 144 to manage heightened security situations in the city.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who filed the complaint against the threat letter?
Sourav Ganguly and Dona Ganguly jointly approached Thakurpukur Police Station to file the complaint after the letter was found at the CAB office on August 10.
Has anyone been arrested in connection with the threat?
Not as of this report. Police are examining the letters, the courier trail, and a preliminary lead pointing to Belgharia, but no formal arrest has been confirmed.
Is this the first threat Ganguly’s family has received?
No. The family says similar letters have arrived over the past six months, though this is the first time the language was direct enough to prompt a formal police complaint.
The Bottom Line
Kolkata Police now have an active file on threats made against one of the city’s most recognisable public figures, with a courier trail and a preliminary geographic lead to work from. What happens next — whether an arrest follows or the letters are traced to a single source — will determine how seriously this escalates. We’ll keep this page updated as Thakurpukur Police Station’s investigation develops.
Featured image note: No licensed image has been attached to this draft. Suggested treatment — a file/editorial photo of Sourav Ganguly at a CAB or Eden Gardens event, or an exterior shot of the CAB office/Eden Gardens. A rights-cleared stock or wire image still needs to be sourced before publishing.
Sources: Reporting cross-checked against WION News, News9live, and Sportskeeda coverage of the Ganguly threat-letter complaint.
