Two individuals, a Sri Lankan and a German citizen, were apprehended by Mumbai Police for swapping their boarding passes at the airport in order to travel to different destinations - London and Kathmandu, respectively. On Monday, the event occurred at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
As per the official, the Sri Lankan citizen, aged 22, was travelling on a fake passport, and the German national, aged 36, allegedly swapped their boarding passes inside an airport restroom to travel to London and Kathmandu, respectively.
According to the official, the incident was exposed when an airline attendant suspected that the Sri Lankan citizen's departure stamp on the passport was counterfeit. Additionally, it was discovered that the stamp number on the departure stamp of the Sri Lankan citizen's passport did not match the stamp number on his boarding pass.
According to an official, after realising that he was caught, the Sri Lankan national, who had reached the UK, revealed his original identity following which he was deported to Mumbai on Tuesday. During the enquiry, he told the police that he wanted to go to the UK for a better career opportunity.
The police also apprehended the German citizen who had the Kathmandu-bound boarding pass.
According to the official, the investigation revealed that the Sri Lankan national and the German citizen had stayed at a luxurious hotel near the Mumbai airport on April 9, where they conspired to exchange their boarding passes.
Two individuals have been booked by the Sahar police in Mumbai under sections related to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The police are conducting an investigation to determine if more individuals were involved in the crime.