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Man, 32, Disguises Himself As 81-Year-Old And Tries To Board Flight To US

Man, 32, Disguises Himself As 81-Year-Old And Tries To Board Flight To US

He even rocked up in a wheelchair - but his plan was foiled

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

A 32-year-old man has been caught trying to fool immigration authorities and board a flight to New York by disguising himself as an 81-year-old.

Jayesh Patel turned up at New Delhi Airport, India, in a wheelchair with the passport of 'Amrik Singh', who was born on 1 February, 1938. Patel even dyed his beard and hair white and wore glasses and a turban in a bid to appear some 50 years older.

Does this look like an 81-year-old man to you?
CISF

However, unsurprisingly, Patel's plot was foiled after he aroused suspicion among the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) when he refused to be frisked because he was 'too old'; he also reportedly resisted making eye contact, presumably 'cause he was feeling a little anxious about his white beard ruse.

It turns out he was right to feel anxious about his plan, as his skin and voice belied all the dye and daft props.

According to NDTV, a CISF official said: "A man named Jayesh Patel reached Terminal-3 of IGI (Indira Gandhi International Airport) airport on Sunday on a wheelchair posing as an elderly man. He even tricked the initial security check and got his immigration cleared.

"CISF was suspicious about him as his voice didn't match his age. Despite grey hair, his skin seemed to be quite young as there were hardly any wrinkles on his face."

Patel refused to be frisked because he was 'too old'.
CISF

Oh dear. You'd think that boarding a flight disguised as someone else would be a tricky enough feat as it is - pretending to be someone fifty years your senior seems like an unnecessary extra challenge.

Jayesh was planning on heading to the Big Apple to find himself a job and had hired an agent to get him a fake passport and a make up artist to age him up at a hotel in Delhi, according to police.

Senior police officer Sanjay Bhatia said he'd never seen a case like it.

It is unclear how much Patel paid his make up artist.
CISF

Speaking to NDTV, he said: "He was planning to go to the US for a job. But his profile was such that he would not have gotten a visa easily. With a fake name - Amrik Singh, a fake address, he managed to get a passport and a US visa.

"His beard was grown and hair was dyed grey. He was made to wear a pair of thick glasses and a turban. He was also instructed to walk like an elderly person. We've never seen a similar case at the Delhi airport before."

Featured Image Credit: CISF

Topics: World News, Weird, India