Fifty-six-year-old Surender Kumar, owner of Ambica Restaurant in the Walled City of Delhi from where three Pakistani terrorists escaped on Friday afternoon, came to know about the incident only after 24 hours, when the local police arrived there to make enquiries.
“A couple of policemen accompanied by two persons came to the restaurant on Saturday afternoon. At first I thought they had come for lunch. But they seemed to be conducting some investigation. When I asked them what the matter was, they told me that three persons had escaped from the restaurant a day earlier. I thought some petty thieves might have escaped from police custody and did not make further queries,” said Surender Kumar, relaxing in a chair outside his restaurant at Cycle Market near the Jama Masjid on Sunday.
Police came back twice
“I came to know about the three terrorists [only] through a newspaper report on Sunday. I was surprised to know that the terrorists had come to my restaurant.”
Mr. Kumar said the police returned twice later in the day along with the two persons to identify the place.
He could not recollect any details of the escapees.
“So many people come here every day. It is difficult to remember every customer. But I can say for sure that no handcuffed criminal came to my restaurant during the past one week. According to newspaper reports, the three escaped from my restaurant, but it is very surprising that the policeman escorting them neither raised an alarm nor made any spot enquiries.”
Vendor also didn’t see anything unusual
Forty-year-old Kailash Chand, a vendor selling hosiery items across the road, also said he did not notice anything unusual on Friday.
“It is very surprising that three terrorists escaped from custody, but the people in the area came to know about it [only] two days later through newspapers. I do not remember anyone making enquiries about the escaped terrorists.”
