New Delhi - Indian cricket team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has received extortion threats from a local criminal that his family would be harmed if a demand of five million rupees (102,902 dollars) was not met, officials said Wednesday.

Mohammad Taslim, claiming to be a henchman of mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, allegedly sent two letters threatening to blow up Dhoni's house in Ranchi, state capital of eastern Jharkhand, if the payment was not made.

The letters also warned the cricketer not to take the threats lightly and not to inform the police about the letters.

Ranchi police chief Sampat Meena told reporters that the extortion letters were sent to Dhoni's residence on Monday and Wednesday and were the "handiwork of local criminals."

"After preliminary investigations we have found that it is the handiwork of a local criminal called Taslim and his other gang members," she said.

She said Taslim who has been involved in cases of extortion earlier was absconding for a long time.

Taslim's claim of being Ibrahim's associate is also being investigated, Meena said. Indian security agencies believe that Ibrahim, also blamed for terrorist attacks such as
1993 bombings in Mumbai, is in hiding in Pakistan.

The state government has deployed additional security With renewed concerns, Dhoni's security has been upgraded and additional police has been deployed at his residence.

Dhoni, one of India's cricket icons, is among the top batsman in the world and has a massive fan following in the country. (dpa)