Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 (IANS) A 13-year-old girl, who had been missing from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, was located on Thursday evening at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi after allegedly boarding a commercial flight alone, prompting an immediate investigation by the Kerala police and airport authorities.
According to a local media report on Friday, the Kerala Police confirmed that the girl was located by the Delhi Police after she arrived on a flight from Thiruvananthapuram without adult supervision.
“We have initiated a detailed investigation into how the minor was able to complete the check-in and boarding process and travel between two states unaccompanied,” the report said quoting a senior officer in Thiruvananthapuram.
The girl had been reported missing from her home in Vizhinjam around 7 A.M. on Thursday, after which her parents lodged a complaint. The police said the girl is the daughter of migrant Bengali parents living in the Kerala capital.
During the investigation, they received some information about an autorickshaw driver who had taken her to the airport. The autorickshaw driver’s input led police to the airport, where officials confirmed that the girl had taken a flight to Delhi.
The Thiruvananthapuram city Police Commissioner immediately alerted IGIA authorities about the girl, who was detained upon arrival.
It remains unclear how the girl managed to purchase the airline ticket. The police are also investigating whether someone else may have provided it for her.
Airport sources indicated that standard procedures for unaccompanied minors may have been overlooked or deliberately evaded by the child.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Police dispatched a special team to Delhi to complete the legal formalities and bring her back.
This incident comes on the heels of a 13-year-old Afghan boy undertaking a perilous journey from Kabul to Delhi by hiding inside the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air passenger flight.
Authorities said the teenager, a resident of Kunduz city in northern Afghanistan, was discovered wandering on the runway at Delhi’s international airport shortly after the plane landed on Monday last.
–IANS
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