Man impersonates pilot to avoid security checks at IGI airport, arrested

Mangalore Today News Network

Delhi, Nov 20, 2019: A 48-year-old owner of a consultancy company was arrested from IGI Airport Monday for allegedly impersonating a captain of German airlines Lufthansa, allegedly to avoid long queues and security checking, said police.

According to police, the accused, identified as Rajan Mahbubani, had procured a fake identity card to pose as a captain from Bangkok for the last two years. He also uploaded videos of him from inside the plane cockpit on TikTok, said police, Yahoo reported.

 

DCP (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said Mahbubani, a resident of Vasant Kunj, initially worked for private companies at different levels, but later floated his own training and consultancy company. He would offer training and consultation to corporates, said police.

“On Monday, he was arrested from Indira Gandhi International Airport when he was about to board an AirAsia flight to Kolkata. The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Lufthansa Airlines had raised suspicion about him posing as their pilot. He was arrested from the departure gate of the airport,” said DCP Bhatia.

The fake ID card has been recovered from his possession, said police.

“Mahbubani revealed that he used to shoot YouTube videos on aviation and had obtained the Lufthansa fake ID card in Bangkok. He claimed he was fond of wearing uniforms and being photographed in them. In his phone, there are pictures of him posing as Army colonel. He had shot videos of himself wearing different uniforms on TiKTok as well,” the DCP added.

During questioning, Mahbubani confessed to the fraud as a means to gain easy access during security clearance and seek preferential treatment from the airlines, said police.

“He would get into the passage used by the airline crew members for getting into the aircraft. He would pose as a pilot to seek preferential treatment. Sometimes, he managed to get his seat upgraded. He travelled to different places on multiple occasions using the same modus operandi,” Bhatia added.