Bengaluru: ‘Suspicious’ man at Majestic Metro station a regular commuter

Bengaluru: A day after the CCTV footage of a man refusing to undergo a check at the Majestic Metro Station after a metal detector found metal on his waist went viral, and was widely reported in the media, the police have confirmed that the man was a regular commuter and there was nothing suspicious about him.

However, another suspicious man who entered the station from the East gate and spoke to a woman seeking help to carry out his job for as much money as she wanted, is yet to be traced.

On Wednesday, the man who refused to be frisked by the security staff at the busy metro hub, and left the station, lodged a complaint with the Upparpete police station stating that his photo was being circulated on social media platforms and telecast in the media terming him a terrorist. This, he said, has tarnished his image and that he was receiving calls from his family members and friends enquiring about the issue.

The police have identified the man as Riyas Ahmad (49), a resident of Gangondanahalli in Nayandahalli. He is a regular commuter and travels from Nayandahalli to Majestic.

According to police, Riyas has a small watch repair stall at the Majestic Bus Stand's subway and he travels by metro everyday. On Sunday night too, Riyas after closing his stall, came to the Majestic metro station when the security guard asked him to pull up his kurta after the metal detector found metal on his waist.

Riyas told police that he felt uncomfortable to pull his kurta up in front of public and thus left the station to go by bus. On Tuesday, Riyas was shocked to see his photo being flashed on TV which flagged him as being " suspicious" and a terrorist. "I was shocked to see my photo on the TV and people calling me terrorist. I regularly travel by metro. The whole episode has tarnished my image," Riyas told police.

The police now are looking for the man who entered the station from the East gate and also allegedly spoke to a woman seeking her help in carrying out his job. The DCP (West) Ravi D Channannavar has confirmed that the man who entered from the East gate was not Riyas and that he was a different man.

Upparpet Police have formed a team to probe who leaked the video to the media and spread the false information on Riyaz Ahmed.