As many as 16 passengers were detained at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar for allegedly attempting to board a Sharjah-bound flight using suspected fake air tickets.
The incident unfolded during the pre-boarding document checks for an IndiGo flight. This prompted an interim security measure at Delhi airport. Airline staff grew suspicious when the credentials and PNR numbers of the 16 travellers did not appear in the active booking system. Subsequent inspections reportedly confirmed that the tickets presented by the passengers were forged, triggering an immediate alert among airport security authorities, according to people familiar with the development. The incident comes a month after a separate immigration lapse involving three Italian passengers who travelled from Amritsar to Munich via Delhi on September 4 without obtaining mandatory departure immigration clearance.
Law enforcement agencies and airport officials took all 16 individuals into custody for questioning. Officials stated that statements are being recorded from the detainees to establish whether they were victims of a larger travel scam or knowingly involved, and further updates will follow as the investigation progresses.
Preliminary investigations are focused on determining the source of the forged documents, identifying the travel agents involved, and whether a potential fraudulent syndicate was targeting aspiring international travellers, officials said. Airport authorities said that formal legal proceedings, including first information reports (FIRs) against the travel agents, were underway.
