A 10 year old boy named Ali Hassan managed to breach multiple levels of airport security on May 9 when he travelled to Quetta from Islamabad without a ticket , boarding pass or a guardian on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
The boy was found sitting alone in the aircraft after the plane landed and all the passengers had left.
“He didn’t have a ticket, boarding pass or parents accompanying and he kept coming up with different stories. He is a very shrewd boy,” said a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official who is linked with the case. According to the CCTV footage from Islamabad airport, Hassan walked to the ASF counters alone. One after another, he casually passed through all the security checks, the official said.
“When he reached the Boeing 737’s gate, the PIA crew asked him about his ticket. He said it was with his parents who were sitting somewhere inside. Our staff checked the name on the list and it was there. Apparently another boy named Ali Hassan was also on the flight,” said a PIA official.
According to details he was handed over to CAA officials at the Quetta airport and sent back to Islamabad on a PIA flight the next day. Once in Islamabad, he was handed over to SHO Airport Police Station Malik Rafaqat but the boy has been missing since then. While CAA officials claim that he was sent to SOS Children’s Village, the authorities at the Village have denied this.
Officials say the boy could have been used to see if someone can bypass the security checks. “Anyone could be behind this. They could be smugglers or terrorists. We don’t know yet,” said another airport official.
A high level committee under the Ministry of Defence is said to be investigating the matter.
For the full report, please see http://tribune.com.pk/story/552247/catch-me-if-you-can-curious-case-of-ali-hassan/
