Dual destinations

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI, JUNE 2. In an unusual occurrence at the Anna International airport here today, three Sri Lankan nationals who were holding boarding passes to fly to Colombo as well as to New Zealand by two different airlines were nabbed by an alert airport security police woman constable.

Detailing how some international passengers were hoodwinking security agencies and committing the serious offence of exchanging boarding passes at the airport, official sources told The Hindu that the three foreign nationals - a mother, son and daughter - were holding confirmed boarding passes to fly to Colombo by a Sri Lankan airline flight.

They also held passes to depart to New Zealand via Singapore by an Air India service. The departure timings of the both international flights were around the same time this morning.

The three passengers were questioned at the security hold area when they attempted to board an Air India flight bound for Singapore when the constable noticed that their boarding passes did not have the pre-embarkation immigration and customs clearance seal.

Also, their hand baggage carried Sri Lankan Airlines baggage tags. Their bluff was called when the Sri Lankan airline staff, while tallying the checked-in passenger manifest, noticed three passengers short.

Meanwhile, the constable also noticed that the boarding passes of the passengers had `fake immigration stamps'. The three were detained for interrogation.

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