The Hindu : New Delhi News : Accused loader goes scot-free at airport

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Accused loader goes scot-free at airport

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI, OCT. 13. The Delhi police have now taken up the role of adjudicating cases too -- or so it would appear from the way the Indira Gandhi International Airport police today refused to register a case against a loader who had allegedly cheated a wheelchair-using septuagenarian Pakistani woman by charging her an "adjustment fee'' for excess baggage when she was in fact carrying less than the prescribed weight limit.

While the loader, Sant Ram, did not pay heed to the fact that the woman was old, wheelchair-bound and a citizen of Pakistan, the Delhi police added insult to injury by terming her complaint as false even after it had been revealed that the accused had cheated her since she was not carrying any excess baggage.

It all happened around 9-45 a.m. when the woman passenger, Meerajunnisa, a resident of Karachi, reached the check-in counter of Pakistan International Airlines for completion of check-in-formalities to board flight PK-273 for Lahore. At the counter, the loader, Sant Ram, allegedly extracted Rs 1,800 from her on the ground that she was carrying more than the prescribed limit of luggage.

This was, however, noticed by the sub-inspector of the Central Industrial Security Force who was manning the closed circuit television surveillance screens and he immediately passed the information to the inspector in charge of the Crime and Intelligence wing of CISF.

The security personnel rushed to the aid of the elderly Pakistani passenger and caught the loader, Sant Ram, who was working for M/s Aroon Enterprises which has been engaged by Indian Airlines for service at the airport.

Ms Meerajunnisa subsequently informed the security personnel that the loader had extracted money from her for "adjustment'' of her excess baggage. However, an immediate check revealed that her bag weighed less than the prescribed limit. Thereafter the matter was brought to the notice of the Airport Manager and the Station manager of Pakistan International Airlines.

The passenger gave a written complaint against the loader, who was made to return the extracted amount to her. After that the Airport Entry Permit of the accused loader was confiscated by the CISF and handed over to the IGI Airport police station for further legal action.

But rather than acting on the case, the IGI Airport police allowed the loader to walk away free. Appearing rather sympathetic towards the loader, a police officer said he was not in the wrong as the passenger was carrying excess luggage. "And after all he has also returned the Rs 1,800 taken from her. So how can we file a case?''

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