New Delhi, Feb 13: A PCR call about four possible terrorists roaming at night in northwest Delhi sent city cops and intelligence sleuths on a wild goose chase recently. Cops traced the four men, and eventually established that they were apple traders from Kashmir, Times of India reported.
Around 10.30pm on Thursday, police in northwest Delhi’s Mahendra Park received a call about four “suspicious men” roaming around the area carrying polythene bags. “They could be terrorists,” said the caller.
Cops swung into action and launched a search operation.
About 20 minutes later, police located the quartet. Their spot interrogation revealed that the group was from Kashmir.
The men were identified as Tariq, Javed, Shabbir and Arshad, all residents of Baramulla and nearby areas in the Kashmir valley.
The four were taken to a police station, and the special cell and the intelligence bureau were alerted to begin a joint interrogation. A team rushed to their accommodation and searched it thoroughly for “suspicious objects”. The house owner, Prem Kumar, also a businessman, was rounded up.
After a marathon round of investigation through the night, cops managed to conclude that the four men were apple farmers who had come to Azadpur Mandi in Delhi for business.
Prem Kumar told police that he had apple shops in the Mandi and the men had come for payments and upkeep of books. They had been staying at his house for the last four days.
The story corroborated the information police received from J&K as well.
The men told cops during the questioning that they had consumed non-vegetarian food at night and had ventured out of the house for a walk and to also throw away the bones. Police said that someone from the locality spotted them and alerted cops due to their clothing or appearance.
Meanwhile, another team traced the caller, Ajay, who turned out to be a drunk man who spotted the quartet surrounded by barking stray dogs, possibly due to the bones they were carrying, said an official. The men were allowed to leave, and the cops closed the call.
