Attorney General threatened, caller posed as Sonia Gandhi

The Attorney General of India G.E. Vahanvati was threatened by a caller posing as Congress president Sonia Gandhi, police said Monday.

A case was registered with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police. Police sources confirmed that the case was registered after the attorney general complained about the hoax call which he received early September.

"We have received a complaint from the attorney general and we are conducting preliminary inquiry. As soon as something of public interest comes to light, we will inform the press," a police officer said.

The officer said the call was made on Vahanvati's land phone.

The police officer said Vahanvati started receiving calls early this month from a person claiming she was calling from Sonia Gandhi's office.

"When Sonia Gandhi left for New York Sep 1 for a medical check-up, Vahanvati received a call from a woman who sounded almost exactly like Sonia Gandhi," the officer said.

The hoax caller suggested strongly that she was not happy with Vahanvati's performance so far, the officer said.

Asked about the matter by a reporter in the Supreme Court, the Attorney General declined to comment.