Andhra Pradesh Police was left with a red face as the five Iranians suspected of terror links turned out to be tourists from Iran.
Two couples and a son of one of them were detained by the Andhra police last night at Vempadu toll gate on Odisha-Visakhapatanam road after they had gone missing from Odisha.
Visakhapatanam district Superintendent of Police K Pravin Kumar told the media that all five of them were in possession of genuine passports and tourist visas. “We had taken them into custody on some suspicion on an alert from Odisha police but they were found to be genuine tourists”, he said.
Earlier the Odisha police had alerted their AP counter part as the Iranian group had suddenly left a hotel in Bhuvaneshwar after the hotel staff had asked them for their identity proof.
However, the Iranians told the AP police that they had problems in understanding the local languages and decided not to stay in the hotel because of the high tariff. Pravin Kumar said that their travel documents were also verified by the Intelligence Bureau officials and were found to be in order.
They were travelling by a taxi hired in New Delhi with number plate of DlCCJ 1520. Police found that the car belonged to a jewelry shop owner in Delhi who rented it out to a travel agent who in turn provided it to the Iranian tourist group.
Police in Visakhapatanam was on a high alert as it is home to sensitive naval installations including the Eastern Naval Command and it was going to host the international fleet review in February.