Police were called to a shopping centre in Bolton after a man wearing a back brace was mistaken for suicide bomber.
Hinesh Vegad, 25, was on his lunch break at a shopping centre in Westhoughton on Wednesday when a concerned member of the public phoned the police saying he had seen an “Asian man wearing body armour which was packed at the bottom with wires hanging out”.
But when officers from Greater Manchester police arrived, Vegad was no longer at the scene.
Fortunately for him, one of his friends spoke to investigators and explained that Vegad had fractured his back during a paintballing accident and was walking with a brace around his torso.
Vegad praised police officers for their sensible and friendly attitude when they later visited him at his home, and posed together for a photograph that he posted on Facebook.
“I had no idea what was going on until I received a phone call from police explaining that they’d received reports of a man acting suspiciously,” he told Key 103 radio station.
“Luckily they had spoken to my friend who works in a sandwich shop when they arrived on the high street to warn people. She told them that it was me and that I wear a back brace for my injury, and passed my contact details on.
“Looking back, I can totally see the funny side of the situation, but that’s because it was handled correctly. The police officers were friendly.”
Greater Manchester police confirmed that they had responded to a report of concerns about a man in Westhoughton town centre and said the situation was quickly resolved after they spoke to him.
Vegad said: “It was all in the interest and safety of the public, and I couldn’t fault anything they [police] did. When they saw me, they were mainly concerned about me avoiding this happening again.
“The brace sits very high above my shoulders because I have a high fracture, so wearing a jacket or jumper is near enough impossible.”
