Two more held in fake pilot scam, total arrests 22

NEW DELHI: A trainee co-pilot with Air India was arrested for allegedly using forged marksheets to procure commercial flying licences, taking the total number of people arrested in such cases to 22.

The arrested pilot has been identified as Sourabh Prakash Lokhande (29). He was apprehended yesterday, Ashok Chand, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), said.

The airline regulator had earlier forwarded his name to Delhi Police's Crime Branch which claimed that the duo had submitted forged marksheets for obtaining the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL).

With this, Delhi Police have arrested 12 pilots, three DGCA officials, three middleman and two forgers. Jaipur Police had also earlier arrested two fake pilots.

Lokhande told police that he appeared in three pilot license examinations conducted by the DGCA but did not get through.

In 2008, he got CPL from Philippines, but failed to convert it in CPL (India) as he could not pass in the exams.

Later, Eknath Patil, a middleman, allegedly told him that if Rs 3.1 lakh was paid to him he could arrange a result showing that he passed in all papers, Chand said.

After the money was paid, forged result of April 2006 along with other documents were submitted to DGCA on June 27, 2008, based on which a CPL was issued the next month.