But clearly, Tariq Ahmed Dar has travelled a long way since he was picked up for suspected links to the Lashkar-e-Toiba and then released from Tihar Jail after three months when police said they didn’t have “enough” evidence.

“Aise trauma se guzarney ke baad bahut waqt lagta hai realise karney mein ki aapki zindagi phir say normal ho gayi hai, (after going through this kind of trauma, it takes a long time to realise that life is normal once again),” he says. “Most of my time goes in telling myself that my life is back on the rails.”

Dar, who was a fashion model in Dhaka where his father ran a shawl business, was first picked up by the Bangla police. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka wrote six letters to Bangladeshi authorities to clarify the charges against him. When he was finally deported, the charge was that he was an agent of the Research and Analysis Wing.

The Delhi Police arrested him on his return from Bangladesh on October 25, 2006. When he was released after three months, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh said they “could not gather enough evidence so he was let off.”

Denying all charges, Dar’s defence lawyer had pointed out that the name Tariq Ahmed Dar was very common in Kashmir. And cited the MEA’s letters as evidence. “If they had inputs about his terror links they would have never done that,” he told the court.

Dar had alleged he was tortured in jail and today he underlines that. “I underwent acupuncture to revive my foot. Due to third-degree torture in jail, my leg couldn’t move. Doctors said there was some nerve damage.”

“After I was released from jail, I went home to Srinagar and spent two-three months there. I wanted to forget everything. I have been spending a lot of time in Europe as well,” says Dar, adding that he is visiting Europe again next week. “From Srinagar, I returned to Delhi to join my brother in our family business of shawls. Life’s been good since then. I got a few offers from TV and Bollywood but nothing has been so tempting that made me go for it,” he says. “To be honest, I am not very familiar with the modeling scene in Delhi. I think people here don’t know me. With the blessings of god, I was big in Bangladesh.”

Dar went to Bangladesh for his family business, where he struck gold as a model. “Due to my arrest, our business suffered. I picked up the threads after getting released. My Dutch friend from my Bangladesh days suggested I test the waters in Europe. I went to the Netherlands and work has been good since then...I received some modeling offers there. Still, I am seriously waiting for a good offer. I can’t wait to get back to the ramp.”