Pune: Three Muslim Men From Bihar Detained After Mistaken For Bangladeshi Immigrants After Viral Video At Hospital, Terror Angle Ruled Out

Pune, 14th August 2024: A viral video showing three Muslim men at the Pune Municipal Corporation-run Kamala Nehru Hospital triggered a major security scare on Wednesday, leading to the evacuation of hospital staff and visitors, and an investigation into a possible terror threat. The men were detained on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

By evening, the Pune police confirmed that the three men, after thorough verification of their Aadhaar, PAN, and voter ID cards, were found to be residents of the Kishanpur area in Supaul district, Bihar.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar dismissed any terror-related concerns, stating, “After careful investigation, we have ruled out any terror angle in this case.”

According to a police officer involved in the case, the men arrived in Pune on July 27 to raise funds for a religious institution in Supaul, Bihar, with authorization from a cleric in Kondhwa. “They were staying at a mosque in the Kasewadi area of Lohiyanagar,” the officer said, adding that the police had contacted their counterparts in Bihar to further verify the men’s identities.

The incident began on Tuesday when the three men visited the hospital around 11:40 a.m. One of them was unwell and required medical attention, so they obtained case papers and went to a diagnostic centre within the hospital to give a blood sample. However, their presence raised suspicion among some of the hospital visitors. One woman, feeling uneasy about their behaviour, recorded a video of the men and shared it on WhatsApp. The video was also sent to hospital authorities and the police control room, with the woman suggesting that the men could be Bangladeshi nationals.

In response to the video, a police team arrived at the hospital around 7 p.m. on Tuesday and reviewed CCTV footage. The police distributed images of the men to the hospital’s security team, asking them to notify authorities if the men returned to collect their test results.

Dr. Prashant Bothe, the hospital’s medical superintendent, explained the situation on Wednesday morning. “After receiving the police alert on Tuesday evening, we circulated the images of the three men within our hospital staff via WhatsApp. When they returned the next morning, our staff engaged them in conversation and then secured them in a room on the ground floor. We took precautionary measures by cordoning off the premises and closing the outpatient departments (OPDs). Although the situation caused some commotion for about two hours, the police arrived promptly and took the men into custody.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Sandeep Singh Gill addressed the media regarding the investigation. When asked about the identity of the woman who recorded the video and the reasons behind the initial suspicion, he stated, “This aspect is still under investigation. We will be questioning the person who shot and shared the video.”

Regarding the decision to evacuate the hospital, Gill explained, “Kamala Nehru Hospital is typically very crowded, especially in the OPD areas. We wanted to avoid any potential panic or disorder during the detention of the three men.”