Pak national gives cops the slip

A Pakistani national, who was arrested last year for illegally staying in India, has given the police the slip at the Nagpada police station.

Senior police inspector Ashok Duraphe, Nagpada police station, told DNA that the accused Masood Ahmed Bhatti, 33, had already undergone imprisonment of four months for illegally staying in India and subsequently released on bail in December 2005. Since then he was kept under “observation” as per the order of the government till the completion of the formalties of his deportation. He was staying at the police station till he escaped on October 14.

A massive search operation been launched to nab him, Duraphe added. According to police officers, Bhatti was arrested on August 29 in 2005. Bhati came to police chowky outside the Mumbai Central railway station and said that he wanted to go to Pakistan. Puzzled, police officers there brought him to the Nagpada police station. During the subsequent interrogation, he revealed that he hails from the Punjab province of Pakistan and was working in a factory in Saudi Arabia as labourer, where he lost his passport.

The Saudi Arabian government deported him to India in August 2005. After interrogation, he was arrested under sections of India Passport Act and Foreign Citizens Act.