11-year-old boy saw 'men in black'

NEW DELHI: Eleven-year-old Rohit (name changed) sells balloons on Barakhamba Road. Saturday was just another day in his life until the bomb went off near Gopaldas Building, before his shocked eyes. ( Watch )

Almost one and half hours after the blast, the boy still stood in the melee at the blast site. The pouch of balloons tied around his waist suddenly raised suspicion — there was a rumour that a live bomb was strapped around his waist.

The police quickly surrounded him. Rohit showed them that it was only a pouch for balloons around his waist.

But he had a lot more to say. He told the police he had seen two men dressed in black get off an autorickshaw and drop a plastic bag into the dustbin. About 15 minutes later, the dustbin blew up. Rohit had become an invaluable witness.

The cops said they were examining the boy and a sketch of the suspects is being drawn up based on the descriptions provided by him. "So far, he has told us about a man clad in black dress, possibly wearing kurta-pyajama. He had a long beard, while the other man was clean shaven and wearing a shirt and trousers," said a senior police officer.

Rohit — whose photograph we have but have decided not to publish — is held at the Connaught Place police statio. An NGO working with children, as well as psychatrists, are helping him reconstruct the exact sequence of events. The police also contacted his family members and brought them to the police station. They are also examining other children who were present along with Rohit.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com