32-Year-Old Man Poses as a Senior Citizen to Fly to U.S.: 'He Was Definitely Not 80 Years Old'
A 32-year-old man reportedly posed as a senior citizen at India’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in order to fly to the United States.
According to CNN, Jayesh Patel was trying to get on an overnight flight to New York on Sunday night, dressed in a white tunic, a turban, black slippers and a large fake white beard.
“He posed as if he was very old and incapacitated,” Shrikant Kishore, a senior official with the Central Industrial Security Force, told CNN.
Patel also reportedly used a wheelchair to get through the airport and didn’t want to be frisked by security.
“Our screener asked the person in the wheelchair to stand,” Kishore explained. “He said that he cannot stand. Our screener asked if he would stand with support. He reluctantly stood up.”
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According to CNN, one of the security officers at the airport noticed that the roots of Patel’s hair were black, not matching his white beard. Patel was also reportedly avoiding the officer’s eyes.
Patel then reportedly presented a passport that identified him as Amrick Singh, 81 years old.
“He was definitely not 80 years old. His skin was of a younger person,” Kishore told CNN.
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After being questioned by security staff, Patel admitted his real name and that he is 32 years old. He was then handed over to immigration authorities.
Kishore told CNN that he doesn’t know why Patel decided to impersonate an elderly person, or what what the current status of his case is. The Central Industrial Security Force did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
