New Delhi: A 13-year-old Afghan boy astonished airport staff in Delhi on Sunday, September 21, after arriving from Kabul hidden inside the wheel well of a passenger aircraft.
The teenager, who survived the 94-minute journey despite severe oxygen deprivation risks, has been taken into custody by the Indian Immigration Department.
How was the child found?
The incident took place when KAM Air flight RQ 4401 from Kabul landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport around 10:20 am. After passengers disembarked and the aircraft was parked on the taxiway, ground staff noticed a boy loitering near the plane. When questioned, he disclosed that he was from Afghanistan.
Security personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were immediately called in and detained him. He was later handed over to immigration authorities for further questioning. Officials confirmed that the boy had no travel documents and had not entered through regular passenger channels.
Here's what the teenager said
During interrogation, the boy told officials that he was trying to reach Iran but mistakenly boarded the Kabul–Delhi flight. He said he sneaked into a passenger vehicle at Kabul airport before hiding in the aircraft’s wheel well, where the door shut behind him as the plane took off.
Authorities said it was remarkable that he survived the nearly hour-and-a-half flight, given the dangers of hypoxia at high altitudes. “Oxygen levels drop significantly above 10,000 feet, so the teenager could have died,” an airport official said, as cited by Dainik Jagran.
The teenager is currently being held by immigration officials while arrangements are being made for his return to Kabul.
