Man wearing back brace after paintball injury mistaken for suicide bomber on his lunch break

A MAN mistaken who was mistaken for a suicide bomber on his lunch break has praised police officers for their sensible and friendly attitude.

Hinesh Vegad, 25, was wearing a supportive back brace when he sparked a terror alert when he visited a shopping centre in Westhoughton, Bolton on Wednesday.

A concerned member of the public phoned authorities saying they had seen an ‘Asian man wearing body armour which was packed at the bottom with wires hanging out’.

But when Greater Manchester Police officers arrive at the scene, Hinesh was no longer there.

Luckily a friend spoke to the investigators and explained he had fractured his back while paintballing and was walking around with a hulking brace around his torso.

Hinesh, from Heaton, Bolton, said police told him he had caused ‘quite a stir’ when they later visited him at his home and posed for a friendly photograph with him.

And he later told radio station Key 103 that he was impressed with the friendly attitude of the officers involved.

He said: “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.

"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.

"They said they knew it was nothing to be worried about after speaking to my friend, but they had to come and confirm that it was me that was in the CCTV footage.”

He added: “It was all in the interest and safety of the public and I couldn’t fault anything they [GMP] 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.”

He revealed more details about the astonishing incident on his Facebook page.

He posted: “Friendly visit from these bobbies today after nipping into Westhoughton for some lunch and triggering the police to dispatch a team to find me around Bolton, all thanks to two member of the public for ringing 999 as they had spotted an ‘Asian man wearing body armour which was packed at the bottom with wires hanging out.

“Thanks to Rebecca [his friend] for confirming to the police that it was in fact me they were looking for and it wasn’t a suicide vest...just a supportive back brace for an injury I picked up.

“I am now off the terror watchlist.”

Police confirmed  the incident was quickly resolved and that they responded to a report of ‘concerns about a man in Westhoughton town centre’.

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