"The pax attempted to travel by impersonating an aged person"
A 24-year-old Indian man with ties to human trafficking disguised himself as an elderly man in a bid to board a Canada-bound flight.
Guru Sewak Singh dyed his hair and used a wheelchair at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.
However, he ended up being nabbed by security personnel after they noticed multiple discrepancies in his appearance.
Despite his dyed hair and glasses, his skin and youthful-sounding voice were a giveaway.
India’s Central Industrial Security Force tweeted:
“Vigilant CISF personnel intercepted a passenger bound for Canada involved in human trafficking and impersonation.
“The pax attempted to travel by impersonating an aged person and using false documents.”
Singh, a resident of Lucknow, was caught with a passport bearing the name of 67-year-old Rashvinder Singh Sahota.
According to police, the Sahota passport has a valid Canada visa but is not clear whether Sahota is a genuine person and related to Singh or whether it is a fake identity.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani said officials have been probing whether a gang which sends people abroad on fake identities is at play.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials said that they zeroed in on a man whose activities were found to be suspicious, and intercepted him in the check-in area of Terminal 3.
Sahota had been preparing to travel on an Air Canada flight at 10:50 pm.
After sustained interrogation, he revealed that his real name is Guru Sewak Singh and he was 24 but was travelling on a passport issued in the name of Sahota.
He also provided a digital copy of his real passport.
CISF assistant inspector general Apoorv Pandey said:
“As the case was of forged passport and impersonation, the passenger, along with his belongings, was handed over to Delhi Police for legal action in the matter.
DGP Rangnani said that a case was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document).
She added: “The accused was arrested and further probe in the case is underway to ascertain the motive and how he got the fake passport.”
This is not the first time that an Indian man has tried to board a flight while in disguise.
In 2019, Jayesh Patel went to Indira Gandhi International Airport in a wheelchair and pretended to be 81-year-old Amrik Singh.
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