13-year-old Afghan boy hides in plane's landing gear; lands in Delhi

A 13-year-old Afghan boy's "curiosity" brought him to Delhi from Afghanistan after he somehow managed to get inside the landing gear compartment of an aircraft that took off from Kabul, official sources said on Monday.

The incident was reported around 11 am on Sunday when KAM airlines flight number RQ-4401 reached the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport after a two-hour journey. The teenager was, however, repatriated to Afghanistan on Sunday itself, on the same flight, sources said.

The airline authorities reported to the airport security control room about the boy who was found roaming near the flight after it touched down, they said.

The boy, a native of Kunduz city, was apprehended by the airline personnel and handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force personnel, who brought him to Terminal 3 of the airport for questioning.

He told the officials that he sneaked into the Kabul airport and somehow managed to get inside the rear central landing gear compartment of the said aircraft. He said he did this out of curiosity, sources said.

After being questioned, the boy was sent back by the same flight that departed around 12.30 pm, they said.

Security officials of the KAM airline carried out a security check of the landing gear compartment and found a small red-coloured speaker, apparently carried by the boy.

The aircraft was declared safe after a thorough inspection and anti-sabotage checks, they said.