LeT ultra jumps off train, but nabbed by villagers

Police confirmed that he was later caught and handed over by villagers at Parmanandpur in Varanasi district. Principal Secretary (Home) Alok Sinha confirmed the arrest.

‘‘He escaped from the custody of J&K police in the territory of UP police, and was nabbed by the evening,’’ said Sinha, adding, ‘‘I have no idea about his criminal antecedents’’. Intelligence sources said Ali was caught this November at Hili, in West Bengal’s South Dinajpur district, while trying to cross the border into India.

According to reports, Ali was being taken by a J&K police team in a sleeper coach (S-2) of the Jammu-bound train. He reportedly jumped off the train at about 4 am today, when the train had slowed down after leaving Varanasi railway station due to the fog. Ali is reported to have taken shelter in a ditch at Parmanandpur village, where a villager spotted him and raised the alarm. He was then caught and handed over to the police.

Eyewitnesses said Ali jumped off about 10 minutes after the train’s departure from Varanasi station. ‘‘He had one of his hands cuffed and was sleeping on Berth 27,’’ Veena Sharma, who was travelling in the same coach, told The Indian Express.

‘‘We came to know that he was taken to toilet by one of the jawans at around 4 am. The train was running very slowly due to the fog, and he managed to jump off. We came to know about the incident only after hearing the jawan crying ‘bhag gaya, bhag gaya’,’’ she added.

Sukhpal Singh, another passenger in the same coach, said Ali had both his hands cuffed when the police team boarded the train at Sealdah. A policeman later freed one of his hands at night and told him to sleep. ‘‘He had tried to cut the handcuffs,’’ said Singh, ‘‘we found some pieces of it near his berth.’’

Nirmal Singh, another passenger, added that the terrorist ‘‘may have been provided a plier’’ by some men. ‘‘At least three suspicious looking persons were walking in the coach,’’ he said. ‘‘The J&K policemen even scolded one of them when they passed by us once too often. The men were not seen after the train left Varanasi.’’

Meanwhile, reports said Ali was brought to Varanasi by the UP Police. ‘‘He would be interrogated by a team of IB, besides UP police,’’ a source in Varanasi police said.