Cloud over passenger safety: Touts and travel agents held at Hyderabad airport

HYDERABAD: Fourteen touts illegally picking up passengers at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad were apprehended in the early hours of Wednesday. As unauthorised taxis operating from airport pose a threat to passenger safety, Cyberabad police conducted a special cordon and search operation at the RGIA. Police also apprehended three travel agents, who accompanied six passengers going to Dubai into the airport and illegally started talking to airline staff to help their clients.

As part of ‘felt need analysis’ exercise proposed by DGP M Mahendar Reddy, where police have to talk to various communities in their jurisdiction to find out what they need and communicate back after addressing the issue, Shamshabad police spoke to RGIA officials.

A team of 90 cops, including 30 members of a special party headed by DCP, Shamshabad, N Prakash Reddy cordoned off the roads leading to RGIA and conducted a check on touts trying to woo passengers, who came out of domestic and international terminals to get into unauthorised taxis. “The airport officials aired concerns about two problems. One is touts operating and harassing passengers and second is unauthorised travel agents carrying out illegal activities at the airport. We have carried out the operation against touts and illegal travel agents,” the DCP said.

Police identified 14 touts operating on the airport premises, offering passengers a quick ride to the city on both sharing or individual basis. “We have apprehended 14 persons and seized eight cars. These people have been illegally operating from the airport premises. They use vehicles with white number plates and keep the vehicles parked in nearby areas. They charge heavily from passengers and also pose threat to passenger safety as their operations are not on record,” the DCP added.

Police also apprehended three travel agents from Mehdipatnam area for suspicious activity at international terminal. The trio accompanied six passengers, who wanted to board a Dubai-bound Emirates flight. “They come four or five hours prior to the flight’s departure with clients and purchase visitor’s pass. They wait at the visitors’ lounge and talk to the airline staff if their clients face any problem in boarding the flight. Some of these agents established contacts with ticketing staff of various airlines to illegally issue boarding passes without the necessary documents like return ticket, stay details, proper visa etc. We have recently arrested one such gang,” the DCP said.

The apprehended touts and agents were bound over and police advised the passengers not to board such taxis.