CISF concerned over people entering airports using fake E-tickets, bats for biometric entry

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards airports across the country, has raised concerns over increase in incidents of people entering airports using fake E-tickets. According to the security force, there has been considerable increase in cases of people entering airports using fake E-tickets.

The CISF has said that 140 such incidents had been recorded in 2018 while 111 cases were registered in 2017.

The issue assumes significance as incidents of people entering airports illegally have increases every year. In 2015 and 2016, number of such cases was less than 100.

Though the CISF does not suspect any terror angle with regard to such cases, but the force considers it as a major threat to security of airports. It suspects that such incidents may lead to some major incident if not curbed.

Considering the threat, the CISF and the Civil Aviation Ministry both want to implement a new entry system for airports using a uniform identity. The CISF is pressing for implementation of biometric system for travellers to enter airports.

In another bid to step up security measures, the CISF had in October directed its personnel not to be over-friendly with passengers. The personnel were asked to shift from 'broad smile' concept to a more disciplined and 'sufficient smile' theory to welcome travellers so that the force could focus more on further improving security of airports.

"From broad smiles, we are now coming to a sufficient smile system as focussing on the core area of ensuring fool proof security is more important," force's Additional DG and chief of aviation security MA Ganapathy had said.

CISF Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan had also echoed his views and said an over-stress on just enhancing soft skills of the airport security personnel had its own pitfalls.

"We cannot be over-friendly with the passengers because one of the reasons cited as to why 9/11 (the 2001 terror attack on twin towers in US) happened...Was excessive reliance on passenger-friendly features where security personnel went out of the way to ensure that the passenger is facilitated, thereby compromising on security," the DG had said.

(With PTI Inputs)