In a dramatic security breach, a 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan managed to travel from Kabul to Delhi by hiding inside the landing gear compartment of a passenger aircraft.
The incident took place on Sunday morning when the boy sneaked into the restricted zone of Kabul Airport and concealed himself in the rear central landing gear of KAM Air flight RQ-4401. The flight, which departed from Kabul, landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport around 11 am after a journey of nearly two hours.
Airport authorities were alerted after airline staff noticed the teenager wandering near the aircraft post-landing. He was immediately apprehended and handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
During questioning at Terminal 3, the boy, a resident of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, reportedly told officials that he boarded the aircraft “out of curiosity” and was unaware of the life-threatening risks of his act, PTI reported.
The teenager was later deported to Kabul on the same flight, which returned around 12:30 pm. Security checks by KAM Air officials on the landing gear compartment revealed a small red speaker, believed to belong to the boy. After thorough anti-sabotage inspections, the aircraft was cleared as safe, officials confirmed.
