Intelligence sleuths reportedly arrested a citizen of Afghanistan from Piran Kaliyar, some 6 kms from here, on Wednesday during a drive against the anti- social elements prior to the arrival of the Prime Minster Narendra Modi in Dehradun on the occasion of International Yoga Day on Thursday. However, the cops could not yet verify the credentials of the foreigner as they did not recover any document from his possession. They said he had once travelled in the country on valid documents in 2014.
It is learnt that a special team of local intelligence unit of police had nabbed a person on Tuesday from Sabri Bagh at the shrine of Piran Kaliyar. On being questioned, he reportedly told the cops that he was Samir Khan from Goa but when he was grilled at length, the foreigner said he has been staying at Piran Kaliyar since March and he is basically a citizen of Afghanistan. The Afghan used to arrange meals for himself from shrine’s langar (a free kitchen) and stay in an orchard, the police said.
The intelligence officials later established his identity as Qateel Shafa from Surkh-Rod in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. “He told us that he had once worked in Cyprus where he married a girl from Jalandhar. He came to Jalandhar in 2014 to meet his wife but his wife could not meet him at the given address. We think he did not go back to his country since then and has been overstaying in the country.
We have confirmed it with the authorities of Jalandhar that one citizen of Afghanistan had come there in 2014 and is still missing,” said a senior intelligence officer.
“We have arrested him under section 14 of the Foreigners Act for staying in the country without any visa and the section 12 of the Passports Act for not having a passport and travel documents on Wednesday,” added the intelligence official.