Industrialist Ratan Agrawal – who was critically injured after being attacked by a criminal gang in the southern industrial town of Birgunj Friday morning– has been brought to Kathmandu for treatment.

He is undergoing treatment at Norvic hospital, industry sources said.

According to reports, two persons on a motorbike threw socket bombs at the vehicle of Agrawal at around 6:30 a. m. at Birgunj sub-metropolis ward. No. 12 and fled. His driver was also injured in the attack.

Agrawal was first taken to the Narayani sub-regional hospital at Birgunj and later airlifted to Kathmandu.

Nepal F. M., a private radio station, reported that Agrawal was receiving extortion threats by an Indian criminal gang led by Chhote Lal Sahani. The same group has been blamed for an attack against businessman, Ramesh Kedia, in Birgunj some two months ago. Kedia lost one of his eyes in the attack.

Talking to Nepalnews, vice president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), Rajendra Kumar Khetan, condemned the attack on Agrawal and said the government failed to provide security to Agrawal though he had been receiving threats for the last one year.

One of the promoters of the private sector Laxmi Bank, Agrawal is also a director of the S. R. Drugs Pvt. Ltd. based in Kathmandu.

Reports say incidences of extortion, threat and attacks against businessmen and leading professionals have gone up across the country after the recent political changes taking benefit of lax law and order situation.