The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) stationed at Indira Gandhi International Airport apprehended four airline employees and one passenger on Thursday on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking, according to an official statement from the CISF Public Relations Officer. The individuals were subsequently transferred to the custody of the Delhi Police for further legal proceedings.
The CISF relayed the incident on the social media platform X, stating, "Vigilant CISF personnel detained four AISATS staff members and a passenger suspected of human trafficking at IGI Airport, Delhi. All were handed over to Delhi Police".
The incident unfolded on December 27 around 1:15 pm when CISF surveillance teams noticed unusual behaviour from a passenger located near departure gate No. 5. The individual in question was later identified as Diljot Singh, an Indian national scheduled to fly from Delhi to Birmingham via an Air India flight, news agency PTI reported citing the PRO confirmation.
Despite an exhaustive search of Singh's belongings revealing no incriminating items, his decision not to board the flight raised eyebrows. The PRO told PTI, "His ambiguous responses regarding his failure to board further heightened suspicions"
Upon reviewing CCTV footage, investigators found inconsistencies in Singh's movements. The PRO said, "The footage indicated Singh bypassed the designated check-in counter and did not return to the immigration area. Subsequent inquiries revealed that his check-in process had been improperly conducted by Air India staff member Rohan Verma at counter F-11".
Further investigation disclosed that Singh was attempting to travel using a Seamen's letter, allowing work on ships exclusively. However, the check-in was processed manually by Verma under the guise of Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) for the UK.
Verma confessed to facilitating Singh's check-in based on fraudulent documents, reportedly receiving Rs 80,000 for his role. Mohammed Jahangir, another AISATS colleague of Verma, admitted to orchestrating the fraudulent check-in process, claiming he was promised Rs 40,000 per passenger by an individual named Rakesh from Mahipalpur.
The Senior Manager of Vigilance alerted CISF and AISATS officials about the suspicious activities, leading to the admission of guilt from two other AISATS employees, Yash and Akshay Narang. All implicated parties, including Singh, were subsequently handed over to the Delhi Police for further legal action. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the accused, as confirmed by the CISF PRO.