Man arrested for impersonating a pilot to get upgrades and skip queues at airport

An Indian businessman who impersonated a pilot to get free upgrades and skip queues has been arrested.

An Indian businessman who impersonated a pilot to get free upgrades and skip queues has been arrested.

Rajan Mahbubani, 48, was arrested on Tuesday (local time) after he was caught dressed in a Lufthansa airline pilot when he boarded an AirAsia flight from New Delhi to Kolkata last week, CNN reports.

Sanjay Bhatia, the airport's deputy commissioner of police, said the man was found out by a Lufthansa staff member who feared he was impersonating a pilot, which prompted AirAsia to contact Lufthansa to confirm his identity.

He added when Mahbubani was arrested, the alleged fraud admitted to police that he obtained a fake Lufthansa ID card in Thailand. The culprit also had a fake army colonel's uniform.

"Mahbubani said that he was a frequent flier and used to dress up as a pilot to gain easy access through security, get preferential treatment from security agencies and airlines and seat upgrades. He would use the passage normally used by airline crew", Bhatia said.

Mahbubani later confessed to boarding 15 flights with the alleged ruse, the India Times reports.

After showing off his "travel hacks" on the social media platform Tik Tok, airline staff were on the lookout for the fake pilot.

"The passenger had also posted videos wearing different uniforms on TikTok. He had travelled on various occasions using the same modus operandi," Bhatia explained.

The 48-year-old could face a year behind bars if found guilty of charges of cheating and impersonating.

The man's alleged fraud resonates from the Catch Me If You Can, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a real-life fugitive and pilot impersonator Frank Abnagale Jr.