On Sunday, a dramatic episode occurred when a 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan managed to reach Delhi in the landing gear section of a flight to Kabul and was deported later that same day. Officials said the incident occurred around 11:10 a.m. when Kam Air flight RQ-4401 landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after a 94-minute flight from Kabul. Ground staff soon saw the boy walk on a taxiway right after the aircraft landed — and were quite surprised to see him. Airport security quickly notified the Security Operations Control Centre, and the boy was detained by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for interrogation at Terminal 3.
How He Did It
According to investigators, the boy, who lives in Kunduz province, which is 250 km north of Kabul, sneaked into Kabul airport and climbed into the rear central wheel well of the aircraft without being noticed — a practice that is globally known as “wheel-well stowaway,” and which is extraordinarily dangerous. CISF officials said that he had survived an extreme situation during the flight, undergoing freezing temperatures and low oxygen supply, before he finally came out after the landing of the aircraft.
Quick Deportation
The boy was questioned for several hours, and he explained how he did not get caught while going through security checks at Kabul airport. The boy was flown back to Kabul at 4 p.m. At the same time, the plane was thoroughly checked. The security personnel found a red speaker in the landing gear competition, believed to have been carried by the boy, while they were checking the wheel compartment. After completing detailed screening of the aircraft, the aircraft was cleared.
While wheel-well stowaway incidents are uncommon, they are highly perilous, largely because most probes are met with hypothermia or suffocation, resulting in death. In this regard, this boy’s survival is miraculous, but officials caution that it raises concerns about possible shortcomings in airport security in Kabul.
More Stories
‘They Don’t Need Our Help’: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Praises India’s ‘Professionalism’ in Delhi Blast Probe
DNA Test Confirms Pulwama Doctor Drove Car in Delhi Red Fort Blast; Lal Quila Metro Closed Amid Security Alert
Who is Dr. Shaheen Shahid? The Professor-Turned-Jaish Recruiter Arrested in a Terror Module Case