Man detained outside KMC Mayor’s room released

Kolkata: The man detained from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) premises on Monday while he was loitering, was released after being identified by one of his relatives who said he was mentally unstable.

The man is a resident of Chapra in Nadia. He was found loitering outside Mayor Firhad Hakim’s office. When security detained him for questioning, they found ambiguities in his statements. Suspecting him to be a Bangladeshi national, he was handed over to New Market Police Station. Police learnt he came to Kolkata to obtain a visa for Saudi Arabia where he was planning to land a job. He had deposited his passport with an agency in Beniapukur along with Rs 10,000. The agency, however, returned his passport and his money.

It was learnt he went to Saudi Arabia on May 18, 2016 with two years’ work permit. He worked there for more than three years. He claimed he had lost his passport and returned to India with emergency travel documents during 2020. Later, a new passport was issued and he went to the UAE. During 2023, he returned again. His three brothers are working in an Arabian country while the youth’s father is a farmer.

Police got in touch with his family. One of his relatives in the Indian Army and posted at Fort William identified him at the police station. He told the cops the youth was mentally unstable and is under treatment. Medical documents were also provided to support the claim.

Meanwhile, New Market Police Station got in touch with the Security Control Organisation (SCO) and confirmed that his passport was genuine. Later, one Kolkata Police personnel whose residence is in Chapra also identified the youth and confirmed he was mentally unstable. The man was released.