Nuh violence: Man who hijacked bus and rammed it into police station arrested

The arrested suspect’s presence had been established at the major places where violence broke out, said investigators

The suspect who allegedly hijacked a private bus and then drove it to ram the Cyber police station in Nuh during the communal violence of July 31 was arrested, Nuh police said on Friday.

Police identified the suspect as Mohammad Wasim alias Tita (31), a resident of Ferozepur Namak in Nuh Sadar area. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Police identified the suspect as Mohammad Wasim alias Tita (31), a resident of Ferozepur Namak in Nuh Sadar area.

Krishan Kumar, public relations officer of Nuh police, said Wasim had come to Nuh to meet his brother on August 30 when he got arrested.

“A crime branch team led by inspector Amit Kumar carried out the search and arrested him as soon he clandestinely reached his residence,” Kumar said.

Meanwhile, a senior police official of Nuh said Wasim has disclosed the names of at least eight more associates who were with him in the bus when he rammed it into the police station and rioters entered the station premises to trap the policemen inside the building. Police had to fire more than 50 rounds to deter the mob and save themselves. “Now we are trying to arrest the men named by Wasim,” he said.

“Wasim is a heavy vehicle driver by profession. He was the one who snatched the keys of the bus from its owner while the latter was trying to move it to a safe location from the bus stand on July 31 after violence broke out. After hijacking the bus, Wasim used it to move to multiple locations along with other suspects before finally targeting the cyber police station,” he said.

Police said soon after the violence, Wasim had switched off his mobile phone and fled to Rajasthan.

“After hiding at several places there, he managed to get a job as a truck driver and fled to Chennai. He stayed there for several days and later came to Panchkula before finally reaching Nuh on August 30,” he said.

Nuh police said Wasim was found to be present at four more locations during the violence on July 31.

“His presence had been established at the major places where violence broke out and that includes Tiranga Park near which the violence started, Jhanda Chowk, Adbar Chowk and Nalhar village where devotees were trapped for several hours in a temple after they were fired upon and pelted with stones from the hills,” an investigator said, asking not to be named.

Communal clashes had erupted in Haryana’s Nuh and its adjoining areas after a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) procession was attacked by a mob on July 31 leading to the death of six people, including two home guards and a cleric.