Delhi con man impersonates pilot to avoid queue, arrested at IGI airport

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Delhi con man impersonates pilot to avoid queue, arrested at IGI airport
Delhi con man impersonates pilot to avoid queue, arrested at IGI airport

New Delhi : Every traveller wishes to avoid long queues and waiting time before boarding the flight; getting it done with a preferential treatment could act as an icing on the cake. But, this Delhi man got it all wrong and ended up in police custody.

Identified as Rajan Mahbubani, he was caught impersonating a Lufthansa Airline's pilot to avoid long queues and get preferential treatment during his flight.

Inspired from one of the sequences of Steven Spielberg's 'Catch Me If You Can', the man acted like con artist Frank Abagnale Jr (a character played by Leonardo DiCaprio) who pretends to be a pilot while playing a con on million dollars.

While the con job done by Mahbubani was not as financially rewarding as it was in the movie, he admitted to boarding at least 15 flights like that and take preferential treatments like free upgrades and direct access to the plane without waiting in the queues, said the police.

It has been learned that he used to boast this on social media too without worrying about him getting arrested for it.

The con man told Lufthansa Airlines officials that he got the fake id made from Bangkok and had been using it since then. In the last six months, during the multiple uses, he identified himself as a consultant and instructor with the Lufthansa base at Kolkata.

According to the media report, he was apprehended at the Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport while he was trying to board the flight I5-579 at 12.35 pm on Monday. On doubt, an airport official called up Lufthansa officials to check his credentials.

"AirAsia India from Delhi Airport called up Lufthansa office to confirm the travel of this person, who was wearing the German carrier’s uniform and had an identity card. Lufthansa immediately sent its team to contact this person at boarding gate 52 inside the security hold area of T3, Delhi Airport. When confronted by Lufthansa officials, this person admitted to impersonation," said sources.

AirAsia India confirmed this case of false identity. "The individual in question was impersonating as an employee of Lufthansa airlines. He was handed over to the airport police and an investigation has been ordered. We would like to emphasise that we stand by all security policies and till the time the investigation is completed we would be unable to provide specific details with regards to this," said AirAsia India’s chief of safety.

The man has been handed over to the Airport Police personnel.