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Man posing as Gadkari’s officer on special duty runs into him at Nagpur airport
Jesus Waghade is a physician impersonating the minister’s OSD — perhaps for the VIP frills, if not for anything else, which is under investigation.
A suave man with a well-groomed beard and hair brushed back arrives at the counter of a private airline in Nagpur airport, says he is Union road minister Nitin Gadkari’s officer on special duty (OSD) and demands front-row seats.
He gets what he asked for, leaves a visiting card at the GoAir counter and walks off with his wife to the VIP lounge.
Minutes later, his “boss” walks in to catch a flight from his hometown to New Delhi to attend Parliament’s monsoon session. The lounge manager informs Gadkari’s personal assistant that the OSD, 31-year-old Jesus Waghade, is there too.
What? Who? The bluff was called.
“The lounge manager was suspicious and asked the minister’s PA if he knows the OSD. Security was called when the PA said he doesn’t know the man,” an officer with the CISF said.
Waghade is a physician impersonating the minister’s OSD — perhaps for the VIP frills, if not for anything else, which is under investigation.
Airports and airlines offer lounge access and priority at check-in counters and security queues to VIPs.
They also get loaders to assist them with their luggage.
The incident happened on July 31.
“It was around 8am, the man got his boarding pass without standing in the queue as he introduced himself as the OSD to Gadkari. Around the same time Gadkari reached the lounge to catch his Indigo flight to Delhi,” the CISF officer said.
Waghade and his wife were booked for a flight to Mumbai.
“We filed a police complaint in Nagpur. It is not clear if he misused any official document or letterhead, but that is for police to investigate,” said an official with the minister.
When airport security confronted Waghade, he admitted his mistake. The impersonator was allowed to fly but he might be arrested after his return to Nagpur. “A formal complaint was lodged by Gadkari’s PA on Friday,” said police inspector Sanjiv Pandey.
(With inputs from Pradip Kumar Maitra in Nagpur)
