Gujarat: Two Afghan students mistaken as terrorists; Surat man alerts police

SURAT: An alert sounded by Surat rural police control room in Gujarat about the movement of two Afghan nationals created panic on Tuesday .
However, investigation revealed that the individuals are Navsari Agriculture University (NAU) students and have come to study from Afghanistan.
Surat rural police control room received a call from one Firoz Shaikh, a Mahuva resident, at around 10.45am on Tuesday.Shaikh shared details about two suspicious looking persons in a bus coming from Vadodara. Shaikh informed that he boarded a bus from Vadodara to reach Surat on Sunday. He noticed two persons in the bus who looked similar to the terrorist whose photo was published in a newspaper.
Shaikh later talked to the duo who said that they were from Afghanistan. The duo was clean-shaven and carried foreign currency as well. This led Shaikh to doubt if they were terrorists, police said. Shaikh informed police that the duo purchased ticket for Navsari.
After discussing the details with known people in village, he called police on Tuesday. Based on the details shared by Shaikh, police checked the individuals who have come to study at NAU. “Police verified the individuals. They have come for the first time on valid student VISA,” said a police officer.