Afghan Teen Travels From Kabul To Delhi Hiding In An Aircraft’s Landing Gear; Deported After Questioning

An unusual incident happened at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday. An Afghan teen, aged 13, apparently travelled all the way from Kabul to Delhi by hiding inside the landing gear compartment of an aircraft. The case was not only bizarre but also raised serious security concerns. Here’s what happened next. 

Afghan Teen Travels To Delhi From Kabul By Hiding In The Landing Gear 

On Sunday, when Kam Air (the largest private Afghan airline) flight RQ-4401 landed at Delhi’s IGI Airport after a two-hour journey from Kabul, the ground staff noticed something unusual. They saw a teenage boy wandering around the aircraft just after its arrival. As per a report by News18, the boy was immediately apprehended by the airline personnel and handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

At Terminal 3, during questioning, the boy, a native of Kunduz city, admitted that he had sneaked into Kabul airport undetected and managed to climb into the rear central landing gear compartment of the plane. He explained that he had crawled into the small, unpressurised space. His reason? Sheer curiosity. 

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Speaker Found In Landing Gear

Along with the security breach, another big question was how the boy managed to survive the extreme conditions inside the landing gear section during the two-hour flight. Survival in that part of the aircraft is rare. It is unpressurised, has no oxygen, and can be extremely cold at cruising altitude. It was nothing short of a miracle. 

As per a report by News18, security officials of Kam Air also carried out a check of the landing gear compartment and found a red-coloured speaker that the boy had apparently carried with him. After further questioning, the boy was placed on the same Kam Air flight, which departed around 12:30 pm on Sunday, returning him to Afghanistan and ending his short and risky trip to India. 

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The aircraft was declared safe after thorough anti-sabotage checks, and normal operations were resumed. This incident is undoubtedly bizarre, and the reason for his trip to India remains unclear. What do you think of this? Do let us know your thoughts! 

Cover Image Courtesy: Kam Air, Wikipedia/ Digitalmarketing111 (Representative Image)