Man impersonating pilot to get easy access to flights nabbed at airport

New Delhi, November 19

A Delhi-based man has been apprehended by CISF personnel at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly "impersonating" as a pilot of Lufthansa airlines to escape long queues and security checking.

Rajan Mahbubani (48) was wearing the uniform of the airline pilot when he was nabbed from the departure gate of the airport on Monday. He was just about to board an Air Asia flight to Kolkata, they said.

He was handed over to the Delhi Police for further probe.

The CISF action came on the basis of information provided by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the German airlines which said that there is a "suspected passenger in the getup of a captain of Lufthansa airlines."             

"The man, who lives in Vasant Kunj area of the national capital, was in possession of a fake ID card of Lufthansa Airlines captain, and he used it to get privilege at airports," a senior Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer said.

"The passenger disclosed that he used to shoot YouTube videos on aviation and had obtained the Lufthansa fake ID card in Bangkok," the officer said.

During police interrogation, it was revealed that Mahbubani was fond of wearing uniforms of different professions and getting himself snapped in different poses.

In his phone, there are pictures of him posing as an Army colonel. He had shot videos of himself wearing different uniforms on TiKTok -- the social media app for recording and sharing short clips, police said.

"During interrogation, Mahbubani said that he is a frequent traveller and used to impersonate as a pilot of international airlines to gain easy access during security clearance and have preferential treatment from security agencies and airlines," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said.

He used to get into the passage which is normally used by airline crew members for getting into the aircraft. He was also carrying a forged identity card of the said airlines. He also used pose as a pilot to seek preferential treatment from the airlines concerned, the DCP said.

Sometimes he managed to get his seat upgraded and had travelled on different occasions using the same modus operandi, the police officer said, adding a case has been registered and the man has been put under arrest. PTI