At least 51 passengers who arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to catch their flights this year were carrying ammunition in their luggage, knowingly or unknowingly, police said. Police said all such passengers faced criminal proceedings under the Arms Act and were stopped from boarding their flights.
On Thursday, police issued an advisory reminding passengers that carrying bullets was a non-bailable offence and requested them to thoroughly check their bags before proceeding for security checks.
They said that in most cases, the passengers claimed they had borrowed the bags and were unaware of the bullets while packing their luggage. Delhi police records show that every year, there are about 100 such cases of bullets found in luggages.
In a similar incident recently, police said, a 41-year old man from Gujarat, who had arrived at the Delhi airport to board a flight to Ahmedabad on Tuesday, was arrested after five bullets were recovered from his luggage. Police said the man had an arms license which was valid only in Gujarat and had forgotten to remove the bullets from his luggage.
Deputy commissioner of police (IGI Airport) Rajeev Ranjan said the passenger was a labour contractor. During his luggage scanning at Terminal 3, police found five bullets and two used bullet shells in his bag.
{{/usCountry}}Deputy commissioner of police (IGI Airport) Rajeev Ranjan said the passenger was a labour contractor. During his luggage scanning at Terminal 3, police found five bullets and two used bullet shells in his bag.
{{/usCountry}}“On questioning, he said he was not aware of the bullets in his bag. He even produced his licence but it was valid in Gujarat only. Hence, a case under Arms Act was registered against him and he was offloaded,” Ranjan said.
The DCP said that till date, 51 such cases have been registered under Arms Act at IGI Airport in the current year.
“Whenever a bullet is detected in luggage, as per the legal provisions, an FIR is registered against the passenger for illegal possession of ammunition and he/she has to face criminal proceedings before the court of law. He/she is also not allowed to continue with their journey,” the DCP said.
Ranjan also exhorted passengers to be very careful while packing their luggage since carrying ammunition at the airport is a non-bailable offence.