Woman with fake ticket enters Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, duped by agent: Report

Airline staff alerted authorities after identifying her ticket as fraudulent, leading to an investigation into her booking process and the agent involved.

A 24-year-old woman was caught entering Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) with a fraudulent ticket on February 11, reported Deccan Herald. However, further investigation revealed that she had unknowingly fallen prey to a scam, as the ticket was issued by an agent she had relied on for the booking.

Woman enters into Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport after duped by an agent with a fake ticket.

According to the report, the woman was scheduled to travel to Ranchi, arrived at the Passenger Terminal Building Gate of Terminal 1 around 7:30 am. Though her ticket indicated that she was booked on SpiceJet SG 320, a Ranchi-bound flight, no such service was available at that hour. In reality, SG 320 operates between Bengaluru and Guwahati, Assam. Suspecting a foul play, SpiceJet officials alerted the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and requested them to escort her to the police station.

An officer handling the case stated that airline staff quickly identified the ticket as fraudulent and questioned the woman about its source. “She was asked to provide details of her booking process and the agent she had contacted. Once it was confirmed that she had obtained the ticket through an intermediary, she was handed over to the police,” the officer told the publication.

During questioning, the woman explained that she had learned about the agent through her friends and had contacted him to book her ticket. She had also paid the full fare and collected the ticket without verifying its authenticity. The police issued a notice instructing her to provide payment details and the agent's contact information. Given that the charges against her were not severe, she was allowed to leave after the initial inquiry.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) police registered an FIR against the woman under sections 336(2) (forgery) and 340 (use of forged documents or electronic records) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the police, cases of ticket fraud through unauthorized agents are not uncommon. While many travelers verify their ticket details via customer service or online portals, this woman had failed to do so.