Suthar contacted Ashok, the child’s father, claiming that the boy is in Rajasthan, and convinced him to fly to Jodhpur. (Picture for representational purpose)
A man planning to hoodwink the father of a missing 15-year-old into coughing up money ran into rough weather when the child’s father turned up with a couple of policemen on board Air India flight 645 on Monday.
Dinesh Suthar (30), who is unemployed, had read about a missing child in Mysuru and that the person providing information about the whereabouts of the child would be “handsomely rewarded”. The missing person’s complaint had been filed at Krishna Raja police station in Mysuru.
Suthar contacted Ashok, the child’s father, claiming that the boy is in Rajasthan, and convinced him to fly to Jodhpur. Ashok turned up at the airport with policemen from Krishna Raja police station in plain clothes – head constable Gangadhar and constable Prasanna Kumar.
“Suthar did not have a plan B,” said DCP, Jodhpur East, Amandeep Singh Kapoor. “He was tense after the flight took off and was going up and down the aisle and so the air-hostess inquired if he was fine,” the DCP said.
Suthar concocted a story to get the men off his back and escape once the flight lands in Jodhpur. “The issue started when the man alleged that some other persons, who were on board, were suspicious and that they were travelling on fake documents and their activities are also very suspicious. On the basis of that information, the Air India crew informed the airport authorities and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF),” Jodhpur Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar Vashishta said.
Suthar had claimed that the men could carry out some terror activity and told the crew that he can identify them. So when the flight landed in Jodhpur at 11.45 am Monday, the authorities and security forces proceeded as per the standard operating procedure, including inspection by the BDDS (bomb detection and disposal squad). Each person’s antecedents were verified while the men in question were whisked away for questioning.
“Suthar kept changing his claims and so a fifth, unrelated person, was also picked up for questioning apart from Suthar, Ashok, and the two policemen,” the DCP said. It was found that Suthar himself was travelling on fake documents and used multiple aliases. An FIR was lodged in Jodhpur.