CISF officials were alerted by the passenger's failure to board his flight.
A passenger suspected to be involved in human trafficking was detained at the Delhi airport after he skipped his flight on Wednesday and failed to furnish a reason behind it. Four Air India employees were also detained for checking him in on the basis of forged documents.
Diljot Singh, who was supposed to travel to Birmingham in the UK by an Air India flight, was detained from the Terminal-3 based on suspicious movements, said CISF, the armed police unit that manages airport security.
The passenger was diverted to the random checking point based on his profiling, but a thorough checking of his baggage revealed nothing suspicious.
The security officials were finally alerted by his failure to board the flight. He couldn't furnish a satisfactory reply when questioned why he did not board his flight, said the CISF.
His earlier movements were tracked and it was found immigration officials had stopped him over doubtful documents and asked him to bring the concerned airline staff. But CCTV footage revealed he neither went to the check-in counter nor returned to the immigration counter.
On inquiry, officials learnt his check-in formalities were done at the wrong crew counter by a customer service associate, Rohan Verma, on the basis of wrong documents.
The passenger was found to be travelling on an authorisation letter for working on ships only, but the airline staff completed his formalities manually. The airline employee admitted he checked-in three passengers with forged documents for Rs 80,000 - as directed by a colleague, Mohammad Jahangir.
Mr Jahangir admitted to the charges and said he was offered Rs 40,000 for by another man named Rakesh. Two other AISATS employees - Yash and Akshay Narang - also admitted their involvement in the case, after which all four staff and the passenger were handed over to the police. The AISATS spokesperson said the staff involved in the case have been suspended.
The AISATS (Air India SATS Service Provider) was part of the undercover operation to stop human trafficking attempt at the Delhi airport. The AISATS along with the Delhi Airport Authority and the CISF conducted the joint operation, the AISATS spokesperson said, adding that, "We will continue to work with the relevant authorities and support this investigation to its conclusion."
A police case has been registered against them, CISF said.