When media labeled 2 men as “ Bengaluru terror suspects,” it was a curiosity for the local residents, a step towards success for the authorities but was a trauma for those who were not the terrorists but had to face all the horror of investigation.
Horrifying Experience For Sajid Khan
For Sajid Khan, a 38-year-old guy, the night of Saturday turned into a nightmare when police caught him for being a terror suspect. At that time Sajid was begging near the R.T. Nagar mosque. He was quite unaware of the fact that he was being held for being a Bengaluru terror suspect who is on a suicide attack mission.
On May 6, the Kempegowda Metro Station’s CCTV camera caught a man in lungi, kurta, and skull caps leaving the station in the evening immediately after the beeping of the metal detector when he passed. Later on, this man was identified as Sajid. His face was relayed across all the Kannada TV channels.
The same footage of the CCTV camera showed one more man, Riyaz Ahmed and he was considered to be the accomplice of the terror suspect Sajid Khan. The security was already beefed up due to the bombings in Sri Lanka on April 21.
Truth About Sajid Khan
While talking to the media, the lanky and bearded suspect said that he belongs to Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan and is an agricultural laborer. For the last three years, he comes to the city for begging during Ramzan and this year too he was following the same practice.
Although the metal detector did beep when Sajid passed through it, the reason was not a weapon but the 150 coins he had collected in charity or zakath.
He had rolled up these coins in lungi and tied them around his waist. It was a shock for both Sajid Khan and his wife.
Sajid said, “The police told me that according to the media, I had tried to bribe a sweeper with 1 crore to let me in with the bomb. If I am begging for alms, how can I bribe anyone? I can’t even buy my children firecrackers to share with other children during Deepavali. Everyone in my village will vouch that I am a harmless man who begs for a living,”
On whether he is angry for being considered the terror suspect, Sajid said, “I am too small a man to be angry; a man who lives on alms. I can only cry and pray.”
Who Is Riyaz Ahmed?
The suspected accomplice of Sajid, Riyaz Ahmed voluntarily turned up at the police station. The 50-year-old street vendor has been selling watches in Majestic for the last 30 years. Riyad asked, “Why am I being humiliated and branded a terrorist? What is my fault? My biggest fear is that someone on the street will recognize me from the TV visuals and lynch me. I fear for my life. The media must realize that not every man with a beard and a skull cap is a terrorist.”
After locking himself in his home for a few days out of fear, Riyaz has now started selling watches. However, he has filed a complaint against the media channels with the police department for branding him falsely as the “Bengaluru terror suspect.”
Both Sajid Khan and Riyaz Ahmed has been given clean chit by the city police.
