IndiGo pilot held hostage in cab , robbed of cash, cards at Delhi airport

The robbers withdrew Rs 1 lakh in 10 instalments from his debit card, 302 US dollars (around Rs 20,000) from IndiGo pilot’s Canadian card and also took Rs 12,000 from his wallet.

A 60-year-old pilot with IndiGo Airlines was allegedly abducted, held hostage in a private cab, and robbed of cash and ATM cards by a group of four men after he was offered a short ride to the parking lot at the IGI Airport from Terminal 1 in the early hours of Saturday.

FILE PHOTO: A logo of IndiGo Airlines is pictured on passenger aircraft on the tarmac in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, July 10, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo (Reuters File Photo)

The pilot, Mohammad Mehdi Ghazanfani, is a Canadian national of Indian origin and lives with his wife in Gurugram, the police said.

Ghazanfani in his complaint said that the suspects were carrying a knife, sized about 40 cm. He alleged that the cab-borne robbers forced him to hand over his ATM card and Canadian VISA card, and reveal their PIN numbers.

The robbers withdrew Rs 1 lakh in 10 instalments from his debit card, 302 US dollars (around Rs 20,000) from his Canadian card and also took Rs 12,000 from his wallet. The suspects drove around in the cab for almost two hours before they dropped him on Mahipalpur flyover and fled with his cards, the pilot said in his complaint.

When contacted for a comment, Ghazanfani refused saying that he was not authorised to speak with the media.

Police said Ghazanfani has been flying domestic flights for Indigo. On Friday night, they said, his flight landed at Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport and he was waiting for the cab arranged by his company. Ghazanfani came out on the main road near gate number 2 of the Metro station at the airport as he was told that the cab driver will be meeting him at the Indigo parking.

“Ghazanfani was talking to the driver over phone when a man approached him and suggested that he should speak to the driver in Hindi. The man told Ghazanfani that he knew where the IndiGo’s parking was and offered him a ride if he paid Rs 100. Ghazanfani accepted it and sat in his taxi that was parked nearby. He soon found three more men in the vehicle,” said a police officer, quoting Ghazanfani’s complaint.

Ghazanfani alleged that the car’s doors were locked in such a way that he could not open them from inside. The pilot alleged that the four men threatened him and forced him to hand over his debit cards to them and also reveal the secret PIN numbers. Thereafter, they took him to an ATM booth and withdrew money from the debit cards. They also took Rs 12,000 from his wallet before dropping him on the Mahipalpur flyover, the police said.

Later on Saturday, Ghazanfani approached the domestic airport police and filed his complaint. He also gave them the initials and last four digits of the cab’s registration number.

Police said the suspects were in a private cab that was not attached to any aggregator.

Deputy commissioner of police (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said that a case under sections 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code was registered on Ghazanfani’s complaint.

“The cab has been identified. We have got some definite clues about the suspects. Raids are being conducted to nab them,” said DCP Bhatia.

An airline spokesperson did not respond to the phone calls and email sent to him by HT.