Post News Network
Cuttack, Jan 24: Two Russian nationals who were travelling in a dumper that met with an accident had a harrowing time as they were detained by Niali Police Friday evening and later handed over to Puri police, before being released Saturday evening after questioning, according to sources.
The two youths —Vasil Lu Fair and Maratha Galimur—had come to Puri recently from Iran, where they had been staying for the last few years, according to a senior police officer.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the two are engineering students were staying in a tent along the seashore in Puri. The duo had boarded a dumper (OR-05-V-1015) which was on its way from Konark to Phulnakhara to go to Cuttack and catch a train to Kolkata. However, the dumper hit a private bus travelling from Jagatsinghpur to Puri, near Jallarpur Chhak. The dumper driver took the vehicle to Dinasinghpatna village near Niali, abandoned it there and fled.
Villagers found the two foreigners inside the dumper and suspecting that something was amiss informed the Niali police who rushed to the spot and took the duo to the police station.
The foreigners were questioned by Niali police till about 1 am and then handed over to the Puri police, where too they were questioned, according to sources.
However, the two were later released as the police found nothing wrong. Puri SP Ashis Kumar Singh said the two Russians, who had genuine visas and passports, had just completed their engineering degree and come to India on a three-month tourist visa. During their visit to Puri, the two were staying in a tent near the beach.
“The two had tickets for Kolkata from where they were scheduled to leave for Bangkok. They were on their way to Cuttack to board a train to Kolkata. As they were in a hurry, they had boarded a dumper that collided with a private bus near Niali,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, the police have arrested the absconding driver, sources said.
