American expatriate Kenneth Haywood, who left India suddenly during a probe after his IP address was hacked to send a terror e-mail before the Ahmedabad serial blasts, returned to Mumbai on Thursday and said he has been given a clean chit and that he never fled.
Coverage: Ahmedabad Blasts
Haywood and his family reached Mumbai from the American city of Arizona at around 0100 hours, sources said. Haywood said he had only gone back for a short break.
His sudden exit under mysterious circumstances on August 17 kicked up a controversy despite a 'lookout' notice issued by the Anti-Terrorism Squad to all airports to guard against his departure. Immigration officials had even coming under the scanner.
Haywood's computer may not have been hacked
The US national, who is employed with a multinational firm in Navi Mumbai, said he was never a 'suspect' and that he will continue with his business and will stay on in India.
Haywood had earlier undergone polygraph and brain mapping tests during investigation, but had been cleared of 'doubt' by the ATS officials.
Haywood undergoes lie-detector test
They, however, wanted to investigate Haywood's allegations that an ATS official had demanded a bribe from him to clear him in the case. But the American said 'ATS has been completely straight, fair and actually friendly and helpful to me. We had different impostors posing from the media and any allegation along those lines was just press spinning it," Haywood said, refuting statements levelling the allegations and attributed to him.
"Obviously, I had to run away. I am back with my family. I am committed to my company, Campbell White and I have to complete my contract with them," Haywood told CNN-IBN.
Haywood also refuted allegations of him being a American spy.
"It was quite strange. Anyone who has worked with me would know how ridiculous it is. I have got enough years of being a business professional," he said.
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