A couple flying from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport disappeared after checking in their luggage at an airline counter, as reported by News18.
Amit Rajaram Chavan and Sheetal were flying from New Delhi to Munich and then to Toronto via London on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. They checked in two bags but slipped away from the airline counter without collecting their boarding passes and did not return.
The airline crew approached the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards all commercial airports in the country.
The surveillance footage of the airport did not show the couple exiting the airport premises and their baggage was immediately scanned for explosive material, but none was found.
In one surveillance video, the couple was seen entering a toilet and exiting in different attires.CISF official
However, instead of engaging in any threatening activity, the couple seem to have ditched their plan at the last minute for domestic travel.
They were seen to have to discarded their original itinerary and instead proceeded to the domestic departure terminal to catch a domestic flight.CISF official
After intensive scrutiny and investigation with a low-cost carrier, it was discovered that they were travelling to Pune under the names Karan and Megha Patel.
The CISF was unable to make them de-board as the flight was in the last stages of departure. Security personnel at Pune were alerted, who apprehended the couple.
Upon interrogation, they revealed their real names to be Karan Patel and Megha Patel who were unmarried and residents of Ahmedabad. They said they wanted to emigrate to Canada with fake passports.
They revealed that they procured fake documents and tickets to travel till Pune from an agent who identified himself as Imran and who was present at IGI as a co-passenger.
Investigation revealed Imran had not boarded any flight and had exited the terminal building. The duo was flown back to Delhi to be further interrogated by CISF, Delhi Police, the Intelligence Bureau, and immigration officials.
The incident comes amid tight security protocols across major airports in the country in the wake of increased tensions with Pakistan after the Indian Army's surgical strikes at terror camps across the Line of Control last month.
Source: News18
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