Mystery men detained in Vizag: Odisha Police

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 27:

Odisha Crime Branch IG (Special Task Force) Arun Bothra late this evening confirmed that the occupants of the detained Toyota Corolla car at the Nakkapalli police station in Visakhapatnam in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh are the same suspicious persons who had fled from Arya Mahal Hotel in the Odisha capital on Monday night after being asked for identity proof.

“We didn’t have much clue in this case. About 50 percent of the clues like make of the vehicle, registration number and people inside the vehicle, everything was wrong. STF had very little information available. Somehow by continuing with our search today we have been able to find them. This gives us lot of satisfaction. They had hired a Toyota Corolla car  bearing registration number DL 6CJ 1520 from a travel agency and the vehicle is owned by one Sehgal Jeweller of Karol Bagh in New Delhi,” said Bothra briefing reporters here late in the evening.

Responding to a media query whether they will be brought to Bhubaneswar for questioning the IG said: “It will be too premature to tell that now. If during the verification it is revealed that they had some wrong intentions or they have some criminal nexus then we surely will get them here. We are sending a team to Visakhapatnam for verification. I would like to repeat two things. First, despite very little information made available to us and ours being a new organisation we have been able to track them in very little time. I can tell you all that they have been detained and there is nothing to worry and fear. Secondly, different agencies like Delhi police, Andhra police and especially IG (Southern Range) have worked hard in the day long operation today.”

Nakkapalli police in Visakhapatnam had today detained Toyota Corolla car with five occupants and is interrogating them. This was informed by Visakhapatnam SP (Rural) Praveen Koya. Three of the occupants are male and two are female and all of them have Iranian passports, he added.

Earlier, police sources had said that the four men had managed to enter Andhra Pradesh through the inter-state check gate at Girisola.

However, suspense continues over  why they had visited Bhubaneswar.

On the other hand, the police today detained three Iranian nationals in Bargarh and is questioning them at the district police headquarters. A Santro car with New Delhi registration has been seized from their possession. While these men were travelling in the Santro car from Sambalpur end towards Bargarh, the car developed snags and they were on the lookout for a garage to get it repaired. Suspecting their movements, locals informed the police.  Police has taken them to the district police headquarters and is questioning them. Police sources said they have Iranian passports and have tourist visas.

Besides, the Commissionerate police has seized a Ford Ikon car with New Delhi registration from Badagada area of the capital city on suspicion.