A 25-year-old man was shot at by security personnel when he tried to sneak inside India’s biggest air base at Hindon in Ghaziabad on Tuesday night. Police said Sujeet Kumar was shot in his legs when he tried to scale the perimeter wall of the air base despite several warnings. Kumar has been admitted to hospital. The Indian Air Force intelligence wing and the police are questioning him to see if he had any terror links.
On Wednesday, ANI quoted Kumar as saying that he didn’t have anything to eat and just wanted to sit there. “I didn’t have anything to eat and just wanted to sit there, won’t do it again,” Kumar, a resident of Delhi’s Anand Vihar, said.
However, the investigation team gave a different explanation. During questioning, Sujeet revealed someone told him that he could get a good job in Saudi Arabia and that’s why he reached the nearest air base, IANS quoted a member of the team as saying. “Sujeet said he was preparing to take a ride on one of the planes,” the official said.
Sujeet was first spotted around the Hindon airbase at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday. He was first seen examining a combat jet installed outside the airbase and then tried to enter through Gate No.1 where he was noticed by the security personnel. Police said they had “shoot-at-sight” orders against such attempts and they fired at Sujeet’s leg when he ignored their warnings.
Only two days ago, intelligence agencies had tipped off the IAF that Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists might try and sneak into the Hindon air base and mount a Pathankot-style attack.
“His mobile phone is being screened. Call details are being fetched. A police team is being sent there to get more details,” IANS quoted Anoop Singh, Assistant Superintendent of Police, as saying. Superintendent of Police (City) Aakash Tomar said security had been beefed up and additional forces were deployed near the airbase premises.
