In a surprising turn of events at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, a traveller’s attempt to answer questions in Hindi led to his arrest. Bound for Dhaka, Bangladesh, Obaidir Rahman faced scrutiny at the Bureau of Immigration counter. An Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, reportedly enraged by Rahman’s use of Hindi, filed a First Information Report (FIR), resulting in the arrest of two individuals so far.
Rahman, who was set to board Air India flight AI-237 to Dhaka, was detained and extensively questioned by immigration officials. Upon examination, his passport listed his name as Obeduddin, further complicating the verification process. Obeduddin’s address was noted as Ridhora village in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district.
Rahman’s attempt to respond in Hindi raised suspicions, prompting officers to conduct a thorough interrogation. Initially evasive, Obeduddin eventually confessed, revealing his involvement in a theft case. He admitted to immigration officers that he is a Bangladeshi citizen from Berhamganj, Bangladesh, and had illegally obtained an Indian passport for international travel. During the interrogation, officials also discovered a Bangladeshi passport and national ID card in his possession.
IGI Airport Police are now investigating how Obeduddin acquired the Indian passport and are probing potential accomplices involved in the illegal acquisition.
This incident highlights a pattern of language-based profiling at Delhi airport. Recently, Babuti Barua, another Bangladeshi citizen, was apprehended after arriving from Moscow. Barua possessed an Indian passport issued under the name Arka Biswas, which he used for travel from Moscow
