Three weeks after Ayodhya attack, cops release driver

Syed Rehan Ahmed, who drove the five terrorists into Ayodhya in his Marshall on July 5, was released from custody today, with police claimin...

Syed Rehan Ahmed, who drove the five terrorists into Ayodhya in his Marshall on July 5, was released from custody today, with police claiming he was inncocent and had helped them expose the plot.

‘‘We have checked all aspects related to Rehan, including his passport, his mobile phone and the Saudi Arabia link. But nothing indiscriminatory has been found against him,’’ DGP Yashpal Singh told The Indian Express from Lucknow. ‘‘Rehan is innocent and it seems to have been sheer coincidence that the terrorists used his jeep to carry out the attack.’’

Two other drivers, who had brought the terrorists to Faizabad from Akbarpur, were also released today.

Story continues below this ad

Since the July 5 attack, UP police had been holding on to Rehan, unable to decide whether he was guilty or not.

The man, and his family, meanwhile, had been branded ‘‘terrorists’’ in Ayodhya and were facing a silent social boycott. ‘‘The last we saw of him was when he left for his daily taxi runs on July 5… Our world changed since then,” said Rehman’s father-in-law, Syed Tauhid Ahmed. His brother, an engineer in Haridwar, had gone missing — apparently out of fear of interrogation.

The DGP said Rehan had helped police in exposing the conspiracy. ‘‘He cooperated completely and his inputs regarding the language spoken by the terrorists and their mannerisms helped our investigating team a great deal,’’ he said.

Rehan is now an important witness for the police as he is the only person who saw the terrorists. ‘‘He would help us in court to identify the dead terrorists…and testify for the prosecution as a key witness,’’ said a senior official.

H-1B visa fee hike, US H-1B visa policy, $100000 H-1B visa fee, India response to H-1B fee, humanitarian impact H-1B visa, Indian government on H-1B, Randhir Jaiswal H-1B statement, Indian IT companies H-1B visas, Infosys H-1B approvals, TCS H-1B visa employees, Wipro H-1B visa applications, HCL H-1B workforce, US visa restrictions 2025, H-1B visa deadline September 21, Microsoft H-1B travel advisory, Amazon H-1B visa holders, JP Morgan H-1B guidance, H-1B visa program abuse, Indian skilled workers in US, USCIS H-1B data 2023

‘I don’t know what awaits me in the US’: The lives upended by Trump’s H-1B proclamation

India10 hr ago

The recent imposition of a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas by Trump has caused chaos and uncertainty for Indian families in Dubai, leading many to rush back to the US. This has particularly affected Telugu-speaking Indians, with the Telangana IT Minister seeking intervention from the Centre.

View all shorts

Live Blog