Police have identified the individual who threatened Professor Anisuzzaman with life, chief of the force AKM Shahidul Haque said today.

"The man who originally owns the phone number is innocent," the inspector general of police said. "The call was placed by a cloned SIM card."

A preeminent intellectual, Anisuzzaman, was threatened with death last week in a text message. The incident was widely reported as the professor sought security immediately.

The culprit who threatened the professor has been identified, the IGP told the press today. "Primarily, we know that he owns fundamentalist ideology."

The IGP was speaking at a programme arranged at police headquarters in Dhaka to distribute financial assistance to the families of 14 deceased policemen who died in separate incidents.

Among the victims included ASI Ibrahim Molla, who was stabbed to death in a check post in the capital, and constable Mukul Hossain, killed in Ashulia in similar manner.

The police chief said those attacks were carried out to stir up instability within the country. "Drives are on to catch the attackers, will continue as long as needed."

The police force has been instructed to maintain caution and provided with specific guidelines after spate of attack and murder of policemen in the capital and elsewhere.

At the event, Khairunnesa, widow of Ibrahim, demanded justice for her husband.