The United States Police arrested a 36-year-old man of Indian origin who lived undetected at Chicago’s international airport for almost three months, claiming he was scared of flying back home amid the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported on Monday.
Aditya Singh, a resident of California, was arrested on January 16, and charged with impersonation in a restricted area of the airport and theft of less than $500 (approximately Rs 36,600), the Chicago Police Department told CNN. He had been living in a secure area of the Chicago airport since October 19.
Singh was arrested after being approached by two United Airlines employees who asked to see his identification. He showed them an airport ID badge that belonged to an operations manager who had reported it missing in late October. The airline employees then called the police, who took Singh into custody.
Assistant State Attorney Kathleen Hagerty said in court that Singh claimed to have been “scared to go home due to Covid”. Singh survived his time at the airport with help from passengers who provided him with food, Hagerty added.
During the hearing, Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz expressed surprise at the unusual circumstances of the case. “So if I understand you correctly, you’re telling me that an unauthorised, non-employee individual was allegedly living within a secure part of the O’Hare airport terminal from October 19, 2020, to January 16, 2021, and was not detected?” Ortiz said. “I want to understand you correctly.”
Assistant Public Defender Courtney Smallwood argued in the court that Singh does not have a criminal background. Smallwood acknowledged that while “circumstances were unusual”, the allegations against Singh were non-violent.
Judge Ortiz, however, said that Singh’s alleged actions were serious in nature. “The court finds these facts and circumstances quite shocking for the alleged period of time that this occurred,” the judge said. “Being in a secured part of the airport under a fake ID badge allegedly, based upon the need for airports to be absolutely secure so that people feel safe to travel, I do find those alleged actions do make him a danger to the community.”
The court set Singh’s bail at $1,000 (approximately Rs 73,200), with the condition that he does not re-enter the Chicago airport. He is due back in court on January 27.
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