The 32-year-old man impersonating as an octogenarian who was nabbed from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport wanted to go to USA for employment but feared that he may not be granted visa following which he through agents planned to leave country by impersonating as 81-year-old Amrik Singh, said police.
The accused, identified as Jayesh Patel (32), a resident of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, had coloured his hair and sported a white beard that made him look like an 81-year-old Amrik Singh, a resident of Delhi. The accused had planned his escape well and in order to gel with his assumed identity, he arrived on a wheelchair to board a flight to New York from the IGI Airport on Sunday but his luck ran out and he was nabbed by the CISF during security frisking.
The accused was later handed over to IGI unit of Delhi Police who have booked him under section 419 (impersonation), 420 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged document), 120- B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 12 Public Premises (PP) Act.
"During interrogation, Patel revealed that around six months ago, when he had a fear about not getting USA Visa, he discussed his desire to abroad with a woman in his neighbourhood who connected him with an agent," said Sanjay Bhatia, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), IGI Airport.
"Thereafter, Patel along with his father met the agent at a parlour shop in Kalol area of Ahmedabad. The agent there assured him to arrange fake documents and send him to USA. After sometime the agent through his sub-agent called Patel at a hotel in Delhi's Karol Bagh area where a makeup artist was arranged," said the DCP.
"The makeup artist transformed 32 year-old Patel into 81 year old Amrreek Singh his (assumed identity) octogenarian. Thereafter, arrangements were made to a further contact and a passport was arranged with name of Armik Singh, a resident of Delhi. The agents also arranged a valid 'Visa' and dropped Patel on wheel chair to the airport on Sunday," said the DCP.
"The agent had also advised Patel to stay on wheel chair at IGI airport to avoid attention of security but his luck ran out and he was caught at security frisking. Sub-Inspector (AI) Rajbir Singh of CISF who was at the frisking, noticed anomaly in the gait of Amreek Singh as he was not willing to get up for the body check. SI Singh noticed that the texture of his skin belied his age. The SI also noticed black hair beneath the coloured ones. Amrekk Singh's bubble has burst and his real identity as Jayesh Patel was established.
" Police have initiated manhunt to trace and nab the agents and sub-agents. Police teams are investigating their modus operandi to procure the fake passport, fake address and fake name," said the DCP adding that further investigation is going on.
