Pune: A minor tension arose at Rajmata Jijau Garden in Pimple Gurav when local residents suspected that the workers installing a dinosaur statue were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
The confusion started after the workers played Urdu songs on their mobile phones, leading nearby residents to mistakenly assume their nationality.
The police were alerted by concerned citizens and promptly arrived at the scene, taking 31 workers into custody. After verifying their documents, it was confirmed that the workers were actually from Uttar Pradesh, not Bangladesh. The situation was resolved peacefully after the clarification.
Earlier, on August 14, three suspects from Bihar were detained by Pune police after the security personnel reported suspicious movements in Kamla Nehru hospital in Mangalwar Peth.
The police had quickly responded to the situation, taking three individuals into custody, who were later identified as residents of Bihar.
The heightened security concerns among the citizens is due to the recent arrest of Pune ISIS Module member Rizwan Ali, a resident of Daryaganj in Delhi, who had been declared wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and had a bounty of ₹3 lakh announced for his capture.
Pune city has long been a logistical hub for suspects involved in acts of terrorism. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch had earlier busted the Indian Mujahideen terrorist organization modules from Kondhwa area of Pune city.
The NIA had attached four immoveable properties as ‘proceeds of terrorism’ in the ISIS module case in Pune. The attached properties in Kondhwa Pune were linked with11 accused persons, including three absconders, and were being used for the purpose of IED fabrication and its training and planning of terrorist acts.
Attached under Section 25 of the UA(P) Act, the properties are residential houses/flats, linked with accused Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Mohammed Shahnawaz Alam, Md. Rizwan Ali, Kadir Dastagir Pathan, Simab Kazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh, Talha Liyakat Khan, Shamil Nachan and Aakif Nachan.