A Hyderabad youth, who claimed he was on his way to the US for an MBA in Rhode Island, was pulled off a plane in London, detained by police on August 25 and sent back to India. Mohammad Shafiq Ahmed (23), who landed in Mumbai on August 28, was again detained for a day by the Mumbai police. And when Shafiq landed in Hyderabad late last night, he was stopped by immigration authorities who handed him over to the local police. After he was questioned by Intelligence Bureau officials, Shafiq was arrested under the Cr.PC section relating to reasonable suspicion.

Hyderabad police said they acted on the basis of information regarding Shafiq from their counterparts in Mumbai and London. “Other than this information, Shafiq was unable to provide convincing information regarding his admission to the MBA college in the US. The papers and documents that he used to gain admission to the college also do not seem to be in order,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Shikha Goel.

She said police was investigating whether he had any terror links. Police officials claimed that Shafiq had earlier been involved in a case of criminal intimidation in the city.

But Shafiq’s family and legal counsel are demanding his release, saying he is innocent, and a victim of racial profiling. “We have not been given any reasons, either by Mumbai police, immigration authorities or Hyderabad police as to why Shafiq is being detained,” said his brother-in-law Zakhar Hussain.

He claimed that London Police had spoken to him and told him that though they had cleared Shafiq, he would not be allowed to fly to the US as the authorities there had refused to accept him.

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