Author: Vijaita Singh
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 29, 2006
A day after, Delhi Police is still puzzling
over the incident when two girls in a Hyundai Sonata accompanied by an AC
mechanic in designer clothes breezed through the security cordon and reached
the alignment point of the Prime Minister's residence on Thursday night.
The odd threesome, Yogita Khatwani, Veena
Chaudhuri and Mohammed Imran from downtown Bara Hindu Rao area, who drove
into the premises of 7 Race Course Road "for the sake of fun", were
arrested and subsequently granted bail on Friday afternoon.
Following an intense grilling of about 15
hours at the Chanakyapuri police station, the three were arrested under Section
447 (criminal trespass) and Section 419 (impersonation) IPC on Friday afternoon.
They were later granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 each and surety
of the same amount.
While the girls were allowed to leave after
grant of bail, Imran went through another round of interrogation for another
four hours. The police appeared reluctant to give a clean chit to Imran and
even at around 7.40 pm when he was allowed to leave the police station, a
constable escorted him to his house in Gali Kishwari Prasad at Bara Hindu
Rao.
"I have no clue why a cop has been put
on duty even after he has been given a bail," said Imran's lawyer Varun
Goswami.
The cops are also baffled by the fact that
Yogita, who had no regular source of income, had bought the luxury car with
her own money from one Zahib, a resident of Mehrauli, three months back. She
even hired a lawyer for herself on Friday morning. "She has bought the
car with her money," said her lawyer Sant Kumar Mahay. On where she had
got the money from, the lawyer said, "Since I have been hired just this
morning, I do not have all the details with me."
Before entering 7 Race Course Road on Thursday
evening, Yogita and Veena went to Rajinder Nagar to meet a friend - a property
dealer. Mohammad Imran, who was known to Yogita, had taken them to the property
dealer. Imran had met Yogita six months back when she had shifted to Delhi
from Jaipur.
Yogita's elder sister Poonam who was doing
a short term course in Delhi had introduced her to Imran. Poonam then shifted
to Pune after getting a job in a private firm there. While leaving, she reportedly
told Imran, "Ye meri choti behan hai, iska khayal rakhna Delhi mein."
(She is my younger sister. Take care of her while she is in Delhi).
Police are yet to discover how Poonam became
acquainted with Imran. According to the girls, Poonam got acquainted with
Imran as he had a shop opposite her residence. However, sources in Delhi Police
said, it was very unlikely that an upper middle class girl doing a short-term
course in Delhi would hire a residence in Bara Hindu Rao area. The locality
has been listed as a sensitive place by the Delhi Police.
Yogita was staying in a paying guest accommodation
at B-12 Vasant Kunj along with Veena Chaudhuri, a resident of Jodhpur. While
Yogita's father is in the garment export business, Veena's father is a revenue
official at Jodhpur.
Both Yogita and Veena were employed with Sahara
Airlines as airhostesses and had been facing disciplinary action after they
were suspended two months back for "alcoholism and absenteeism."
Following the news of the security breach, the airlines sacked the duo.
Imran's father, Mohammed Akhlaquddin is in
the business of manufacturing hair clips and his whole family is involved
in running it. Imran is a school dropout and has four sisters, two of whom
are married. Imran runs a shop "Cooling Touch" from his house itself.
"He has high profile clients including
politicians and the richer sections of the society," said Shamim, a relative
of Imran. Imran's friends who had come to the Chanakyapuri police station
said that they were baffled by the fact that he was found with two girls.
"On Thursday, he had left his house on
his scooter saying that he was going to visit a client. His scooter has also
not been traced yet. I do not know how he befriended them," added Shamim.
"Though they do not have any criminal
background but further investigations into the case are on," said Anand
Mohan, deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi).
The cops registered a case on Friday on the
basis of the call they received from the Police Control Room on Thursday night
that a car has breached the PM's security cordon.
