Jayesh Patel was put through detailed checks, following which his original identity was revealed.
Jayesh Patel, an Ahmedabad resident, had gone to great lengths to fly to the United States where he was hoping to find a job and a shot at a better life. His American dream came crashing down on Sunday at the Delhi airport when he was caught by security officers just before he was to catch a flight to New York.
Mr Patel, 32, disguised himself as an 81-year-old man by getting his hair and beard dyed grey and got a fake name - Amrik Singh. He also managed to get a passport, the police said. At the Delhi airport, he managed to get past the initial security check as well as the immigration officials.
"A man named Jayesh Patel reached Terminal-3 of IGI (Indira Gandhi International Airport) airport on Sunday on a wheelchair posing as an elderly man. He even tricked the initial security check and got his immigration cleared," said Hemendra Singh, the spokesperson of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) told news agency IANS.
Jayesh Patel was put through detailed checks, following which his original identity was revealed.
"CISF was suspicious about him as his voice didn't match his age. Despite grey hair, his skin seemed to be quite young as there were hardly any wrinkles on his face," the CISF spokesperson said.
Jayesh Patel had hired an agent called Bharat who promised him that he will get the required documents ready and send him to the US. The two had also made a deal that when he reaches the US, Mr Patel will send the agent Rs. 30 lakh.
The agent put Jayesh Patel in touch with his Delhi-based aide. The US aspirant was taken to a hotel in Delhi where a make-up artiste was brought it. The 32-year-old was made to look like an 81-year-old man in the hotel room.
"He was planning to go to the US for a job. But his profile was such that he would not have gotten a visa easily. With a fake name - Amrik Singh, a fake address, he managed to get a passport and a US visa," senior police officer Sanjay Bhatia told NDTV.
"His beard was grown and hair was dyed grey. He was made to wear a pair of thick glasses and a turban. He was also instructed to walk like an elderly person," the officer said. "We've never seen a similar case at the Delhi airport before," he added.
Jayesh Patel's agent, his agent, the assistant and the make-artiste are yet to be arrested.