32-Year-Old Man Impersonated 81-Year-Old In Attempt To Fly To US

A 32-year-old man was detained at the New Delhi airport after he reportedly tried to impersonate an 81-year-old to fly to New York on a fake passport.

The man, identified as Jayesh Patel, made an attempt to travel to the U.S. with a passport bearing the name Amrick Singh who, according to the passport, was born on Feb. 1, 1938, local media reported.

It was a commendable disguise which involved white beard, glasses and a turban. He even used a wheelchair to make it all look genuine, according to a statement released by India’s Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which is in charge of airport security.

CNN reported that the man, who posed as a frail and elderly passenger, caught the attention of the staff when he reached for the security check at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, India’s busiest airport. Shrikant Kishore, a senior official with the Central Industrial Security Force told CNN, "He posed as if he was very old and incapacitated."

The passenger, who was seen wearing white tunic and trousers, with a white turban and black slippers, showed a reluctance to being searched, saying he was old and unable to stand. But that served to make the security agents suspicious, as per a report by The Independent.

The official further revealed, "Our screener asked the person in the wheelchair to stand. He said that he cannot stand. Our screener asked if he would stand with support. He reluctantly stood up."

The officers understood that something is amiss instantly and closely scrutinized the man. They then noticed that even though the passenger’s beard and hair were white, the roots were black. However, the man still kept working hard to hoodwink the officers.

When the staff on duty asked after his passport, he handed over the documentation claiming that he was 81-year-old Amrick Singh, born in Delhi in February 1938.

Kishore told CNN, “"He was definitely not 80 years old. His skin was of a younger person,"

CISF also told the The Independent, “The appearance and skin texture of the passenger seemed to be much younger than mentioned in the passport.”

Patel was taken for further interrogation immediately after his cover was blown.