DISGUISE

Man Caught Impersonating 81-Year-Old to Board U.S.-Bound Flight

Jayesh Patel had white hair, a white beard, and rode through the airport in a wheelchair but officials reportedly noticed he had skin “of a younger person.”

A 32-year-old Indian man was reportedly arrested at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday after he was caught trying to board a U.S.-bound flight disguised as an 81-year-old. Jayesh Patel donned white hair, a white beard, and large eyeglasses while going through security in a wheelchair to fly to New York. Patel refused to be searched by a security, claiming he could not stand. According to CNN, the official then noticed Patel's black roots on his dyed white hair and asked him for identification—which said he was born in 1938. “He was definitely not 80 years old. His skin was of a younger person,” Shrikant Kishore, a senior official with the Central Industrial Security Force, was quoted saying.

Upon further questioning, Patel admitted to wearing a disguise and having a fake passport. Police told local media that Patel hired an agent that promised him a passport and a U.S. visa. The 32-year-old apparently wanted to travel to the U.S. for a job. He was subsequently handed over to immigration authorities while a probe into the matter takes place.