London, March 28: Two of the Pakistanis fans, wanted by Jamaican police for questioning in connection with the murder of coach Bob Woolmer, have said they were innocent and had nothing to do with the killing.
The two "hangers-on" to the Pakistan team during the World Cup are identified as Erfan Chaudhary and Tariq Malik.
Chaudhary, a medical technician who works in Queens, New York, claimed he was not on the island on March 18 when Woolmer was murdered in his Jamaica Pegasus hotel room after Pakistan`s shock defeat to Ireland on the previous day.
"I was really shocked, obviously I had nothing to do with it as I wasn`t even there," Chaudhary was quoted as saying by the `Mirror` reported from Kingston, Jamaica.
"I went to Jamaica on March 12 for the first match and then I left on the 14th and went back to see the last match against Zimbabwe. On the second trip, I flew to Jamaica on the 20th and left on March 22," he said.
"I didn`t know Mr Woolmer, I knew the media manager of the Pakistan team, PJ Mir, I didn`t know any of the players. When I returned to Jamaica, the team were pretty sad, like they had lost one of their own family members," he added.
Chaudhary said he stayed at the Pegasus hotel on both his trips to Jamaica, but had not yet been contacted by police.
Malik, a 47-year-old car dealer who lives in Jamaica, said "I didn`t kill Bob, far from it. I`m here to help with the investigation, I`m innocent."
Police were still hunting for two other fans named Hamad Malik, thought to be from London, and Jundie Khan, from Florida.
Mir admitted he knew Chaudhary and Malik and insisted the two were innocent.
"Jundie Khan and Hamad Malik are not known to myself or any of the players. But Erfan Chaudhary is a close personal friend and I am outraged by the news he is being sought in connection with Bob Woolmer`s murder. Tariq is also a very good friend of the team who cooks Halal food for the players," he said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields, who is leading the probe, had yesterday said "we are looking for them to eliminate them (from our inquiries)".
Bureau Report
