Man Impersonating as Lufthansa Pilot Nabbed at Delhi Airport

New Delhi: A Delhi-based man was apprehended by CISF personnel at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly "impersonating" as a pilot of Lufthansa airlines, officials said on Tuesday. They said Rajan Mahbubani (48), wearing the uniform of the airline, was nabbed from the departure gate of the airport on Monday.

The CISF action came on the basis of an information by the chief security officer of the German airlines, Aditya Singh Pathania, who said there is a "suspected passenger in the getup of a captain of Lufthansa airlines."

"The man, who lives in the Vasant Kunj area of the national capital, was in possession of a fake ID card of Lufthansa Airlines captain, and he used it to get privilege at airports," a senior Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer said.

The police have dug up his photo gallery and found his other photos of him in uniform, which he wore while making videos for YouTube and TikTok.

He was caught when he was just about to board an Air Asia flight to Kolkata, another official said. "The passenger disclosed that he used to shoot YouTube videos on aviation and had obtained the Lufthansa fake ID card in Bangkok," the officer said.

"During interrogation, he disclosed that he impersonated as a pilot to gain easy access during security clearance and have preferential treatment from the security agencies and airlines," said DCP (Airport) Sanjay Bhatia.

The man impersonating as a pilot was offloaded and handed over to Delhi Police to probe if he indulged in any nefarious activity in the past at various airports that he visited. Police have found photos of Mahbubani in uniforms of different professions, including that of the armed forced.

(With inputs from PTI)