Thane man detained for link to Varanasi blast let off

A man who was detained from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport after an anonymous caller informed police that he could have played a in the December 7 Varanasi blast, was let off on Sunday, officials said. HT reports.

A man who was detained from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport after an anonymous caller informed police that he could have played a in the December 7 Varanasi blast, was let off on Sunday, officials said.

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Suhaib Nadim Siddique was picked up by CISF officials on Saturday after the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the city police informed the airport authorities about the name of the person against whom a call was received, police said.

The CISF and immigration authorities could not clearly make out the person’s name but detained Siddique whose name sounded quite similar to the one mentioned by the caller.

Siddique, a resident of Thane, was intercepted and detained from the check-in counter while he was on his way to board a plane to the Gulf, police said.

Sources said the ATS was quick to inform its counterparts in Uttar Pradesh but seemed to have backtracked later when nothing was found against the detained person.

The police suspected the call could also have been a prank to harass the passenger.

“He has been let off on Sunday. It has been found that he has nothing to do with the Varanasi blast. Siddique's profile did not match that of the person wanted in the blast,” deputy police commissioner Satyanarayan Chaudhary said.

Two persons, a two-year-old girl and a woman, were killed and several injured when a low intensity bomb went off at Sheetla Ghat in Varanasi where devotees were to gather for a puja on December 7. Minutes later, the Indian Mujahideen sent an e-mail claiming credit for the attack and saying that it was in retaliation for the Babri Masjid demolition.