Human Trafficking Bust at Delhi Airport: 4 Air India Staffers, 1 Passenger Arrested

New Delhi: A major human trafficking operation was thwarted at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, leading to the arrest of four AISATS employees and an Indian passenger attempting illegal travel to the UK. The incident, part of a joint operation by CISF, Delhi Airport Authority, and AISATS, highlights the vulnerability of air travel to such criminal activities.

The racket came to light on Wednesday when security personnel flagged a passenger, Diljot Singh, bound for Birmingham on an Air India flight due to inconsistencies in his travel documents. Immigration officials denied him boarding, prompting Singh to seek assistance from an AISATS staffer. Subsequent investigation revealed a shocking scheme – AISATS employees Rohan Verma, Mohammad Jahangir, Yash, and Akshay Narang were facilitating the illegal boarding of Singh and two others using forged documents, reportedly for a fee of ₹40,000 per passenger.

The four AISATS employees and Singh were promptly handed over to Delhi Police for legal action. AISATS CEO Sanjay Gupta issued a statement acknowledging the company’s participation in the operation and pledging their commitment to upholding ethical conduct and preventing human trafficking at the airport.

This incident comes barely days after a France-bound flight carrying mostly Indian passengers was grounded for four days due to suspected human trafficking activity. These back-to-back disruptions raise serious concerns about airport security vulnerabilities and the prevalence of human trafficking networks targeting air travel.