Foreigner Youth Found Near Oil Depot In Ratlam, Questions Raised

Ratlam (Madhya Pradeh): A foreign youth was found wandering under suspicious circumstances late on Monday night near Bangrod village, about 13 km from the Ratlam district headquarters.

Villagers spotted him on the main road and informed ASI Pradeep Sharma, in-charge of the Bangrod police outpost.

Sharma attempted to question the youth, but could not gather information due to a language barrier. Local youths later interacted with him in broken English and learnt that he was an Australian national on a tourist visa. He was then dropped at Ratlam railway station without any formal police procedure, claimed by locals.

The incident has raised serious concerns as Bangrod houses a major oil depot, making it a sensitive security zone. Despite this, the police did not record the youth’s name or address, nor verify his identification or visa documents. No security agency was informed.

Villagers described his behaviour as suspicious, stating that he refused to allow anyone to touch his bag and became aggressive when approached. His presence near the oil depot late at night triggered concern among residents.

Several questions remain unanswered, including the purpose of his presence near a sensitive installation, whether he possessed valid documents and why the police failed to verify his identity before letting him go.