Al-Moayed said that they are still verifying whether Suryanarayana was using their regular company car or a rented vehicle.
KABUL: In a further development in the case of murdered Indian engineer Suryanarayana, there now appears to be uncertainty regarding the vehicle he was travelling in when abducted.
Al-Moayed said that they are still verifying whether Suryanarayana was using their regular company car or a rented vehicle.
Reports claim that he had hired a driver and vehicle the previous day in Khost, which he used to go out in on Friday. In case the engineer was travelling in a rented car with an unknown driver, this would indicate a security lapse of greater magnitude than previously supposed.
His employers said that his abduction appears to have been caused by his overlooking security regulations for travelling in the provinces. “It seems he became complacent because he was very comfortable with the region,” said Manish Aggarwal, General Manager.
Security regulations of the company require employees travelling on the Kabul-Kandahar route to be accompanied by two jeeps carrying eleven armoured guards. Suryanarayana was travelling alone with an Afghan driver, who is yet to be traced.
“He was a mature guy with a family, he was experienced and knew how things worked in this country,” said Aggarwal. Suryanarayana had been working for the Bahraini company for over four months.
He had also spent a year in Afghanistan in 2003 working for Roshan Telecom, travelling extensively all over the country on both stints. “I would not call it carelessness, but maybe it was overconfidence that if nothing had happened till now, it would not happen at all,” Aggarwal said.
However, there have been no clear answers so far as to why an employee was permitted to leave the company’s compound in such a clear breach of security guidelines. This is all the more surprising given the fact that Al Moayed is provided protection by the Saladin Group, an international leader in the field and the largest security provider in Afghanistan. The agency refused to comment on the incident.
“I am completely satisfied with Saladin’s performance and I believe in them,” said Aggarwal. He added that the incident occurred because regulations were not followed. “ I cannot force anyone to work according to the rules,” he said.
Meanwhile, Roshan Telecom denied rumours that its Indian workers had left their jobs and returned home. “ There are fifteen Indians directly employed by Roshan and none of them have left,” said Altaf, Chief Marketing Manager.
Refuting the existence of an anti-India sentiment in the country, Aggarwal also said that his team of fifty Indian employees was still intact. “Initially they were very disturbed but now that the complete story is emerging they are recovering fast.”
Nevertheless, Suryanarayana’s absence is deeply felt by his colleagues. “He was a very friendly guy, fond of singing,” recalls Aggarwal emotionally. “If our cook was absent he would volunteer to prepare the meal.”
On his last visit, Suryanarayana had cooked him a spicy biryani that left his eyes streaming. “We are like a family here, mostly bachelors living, eating and drinking together. His death has affected us all.”
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