NEW DELHI: A man was arrested for allegedly impersonating an air force officer in order to procure a special airport pass, not available to the general public. Firoz Gandhi (40), a resident of Geeta Colony, arrived at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) office on Tuesday by posing as a wing commander and sought to renew his Aerodrome Entry Pass (AEP), which provides entry to restricted areas, police said.
In 2019, Gandhi obtained the AEP by submitting forged documents and it was due to expire in November this year. He wanted to renew the pass as he was fascinated by the Indian Air Force officers’ uniform, the police said. On Wednesday, the BCAS filed a complaint at the Indira Gandhi International Airport police station alleging that a man approached the office claiming to be a wing commander, a senior police officer said.
“During IAF verification, his credentials were found to be doubtful,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, IGI Airport, Tanu Sharma. He was handed over to the police and a case was registered against him. During the inquiry, Gandhi revealed that he joined the National Cadet Corps’ air wing as an aero-modelling instructor in 2005 and worked there till 2018.
According to police, Gandhi currently works as a liasoning officer at Bal Bhawan, Vikas Marg, on a contract basis. During a search, 19 stamps of different authorities, two IAF officers’ uniforms, four ID cards and three IAF diaries were recovered, police said.