How Did a 13-Year-Old Girl Fly Solo to Delhi from Thiruvananthapuram?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Unaccompanied minors traveling require strict protocols.
- Investigation initiated by Kerala Police and airport authorities.
- Concerns over safety measures for minors in aviation.
- Parents reported the child missing before her flight.
- Connection to a previous shocking incident involving another minor.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 (NationPress) A 13-year-old girl, reported missing from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, was discovered on Thursday evening at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi after allegedly boarding a commercial flight alone. This incident has triggered an immediate investigation by the Kerala police and airport authorities.
As per a local media report on Friday, the Kerala Police confirmed that the girl was found by the Delhi Police after she arrived on a flight from Thiruvananthapuram without any adult supervision.
"We have initiated a comprehensive investigation into how this minor successfully completed the check-in and boarding process to travel between states unaccompanied," stated a senior officer in Thiruvananthapuram.
The girl was reported missing from her home in Vizhinjam around 7 A.M. on Thursday, prompting her parents to file a complaint. According to police, she is the daughter of migrant Bengali parents residing in the Kerala capital.
During the investigation, authorities received information regarding an autorickshaw driver who transported her to the airport. This lead directed police to the airport, where it was confirmed that the girl had indeed taken a flight to Delhi.
The Thiruvananthapuram city Police Commissioner promptly alerted IGIA authorities about the girl, who was detained upon her arrival.
It is still unclear how the girl acquired her airline ticket. Police are also probing whether someone else may have facilitated this purchase.
Sources at the airport indicated that standard protocols for unaccompanied minors might have been overlooked or intentionally bypassed by the child.
In the meantime, the Kerala Police have dispatched a special team to Delhi to fulfill the legal formalities and ensure her return.
This occurrence follows a recent incident involving a 13-year-old Afghan boy, who undertook a dangerous journey from Kabul to Delhi by hiding in the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air passenger flight.
Authorities reported that the boy, a resident of Kunduz city in northern Afghanistan, was found wandering on the runway at Delhi’s international airport shortly after the plane landed on the previous Monday.