Bin Laden 'look alike' arrested in India

The man bore a striking resemblance to Osama Bin Laden

By Frances Harrison in Delhi

Indian police detained a bearded man in the western border area of Rajasthan on suspicion that he might be the world's most wanted man, Osama Bin Laden.

The man was released after two hours of questioning which established that he was in fact a Hindu and also worked for an American company.

Police in the town of Jaisalmer bordering Pakistan said they saw a man with a flowing beard and black scarf driving along the national highway in a jeep.

They chased the man, took him to the police station and politely asked who he was - clearly concerned they might have apprehended Osama Bin Laden fleeing Aghanistan via Pakistan.

US company

The bearded man told the police he was an engineer working with the American company Enron on a wind energy project in the area.

A telephone call to the company confirmed this and one policeman told the man that he should be thankful he wasn't living in the United States because he would have definitely been shot so strong was his resemblance to Osama Bin Laden.

The man, who turned out to be a Hindu and not a Muslim, was freed immediately.

But not before a crowd of curious villagers had gathered outside the police station eager to catch a glimpse of the man who's been dominating the news.