The arrest of a duty manager of a ground-handling agency at Mumbai airport on September 27, has unearthed what might be a nationwide human-trafficking racket.
The arrest of a duty manager of a ground-handling agency at Mumbai airport on September 27, has unearthed what might be a nationwide human-trafficking racket involving passport agents and airport employees from various parts of the country, feel Sahar police.
The arrest was made after a passenger complained that Deepak Patole, a duty officer with Cambata Aviation, allegedly posed as a security officer and took away his passport, visa and air ticket.
Police said that on the night of September 26, Patole was on duty, in charge of handling an Etihad Airway’s flight.
Around 11.30pm, the complainant, named Balraj, reached the terminal to catch his
Lufthansa flight to the UK. “Balraj was standing outside the terminal when Patole approached him and allegedly introduced himself as a security officer. He asked Balraj to handover his travel documents claiming that they had to be cross-checked for security reasons. He then disappeared inside the terminal,” said Dilip Patil, senior inspector, Sahar police station.
However, after waiting for nearly 45 minutes, Balraj panicked and approached the Sahar police for help. “We went through the CCTV recordings and traced Patole,” said Patil.
Patil added that on the afternoon of September 27, Patole was arrested under sections 171 (carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent) and 420 (cheating), IPC. “He was remanded in custody for seven days.”
Though Patole’s arrest is significant, police officials believe that this may just be the tip of the iceberg. “The arrest points at a nexus between passport agents and airport employees from Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata,” said Patil.
According to Patil, in connivance with certain airport officials, the agents misuse original passport and visa documents of bona fide travellers to transport those with dubious identities.
However, to combat the multi-million business of human trafficking, the Sahar police will now form a team to keep an eye on those working inside the airport and to track agents involved in the crime.
When contacted, Saroj Contractor, director for Cambata Aviation, confirmed that Patole was one of their employees. “We haven’t received any confirmation about his arrest and still aren’t very clear about the issue. If he is guilty than we will initiate action against him,” he said.
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