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A 40-year-old German man has been living in the transit area of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for the past 54 days in a story not unlike that of Viktor Navorski, the fictional character played by Tom Hanks in the Steven Spielberg 2004 movie “The Terminal”.
German citizen Edgard Ziebat was on his way from Hanoi to Istanbul on March 18.the day India canceled all flights to and from Turkey in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Four days later, India halted all international flights and then, on March 25, imposed a national blockade that is now slated to continue until May 17.
Although there were other passengers stranded at the airport at that time, what complicated Ziebat is that he has a criminal record in his country of origin, which has refused to take custody of him because he is in a foreign place, according to two Security agents. airport officials who asked not to be named. India also did not grant him a visa due to his criminal history, the officials added.
There was no immediate response from the German embassy to calls and text messages about the development.
On March 18, Ziebat landed in New Delhi from Vietnam on a VietJet Air flight. as a transit passenger to Istanbul, only to realize that all flights to their destination were canceled, one of the officers named above said.
“After spending about a week in the transit area, with four other stranded passengers arriving in Delhi on different dates, two from Sri Lanka and one from the Maldives and the Philippines, the airport authorities alerted their respective embassies,” he said. the official.
“While other embassies facilitated others and were quarantined, officials from the German embassy informed the Indian immigration office that Ziebat is a wanted criminal in his country with several cases of assault and other crimes recorded against him. Since he was in a foreign land, they did not take custody of him. The Delhi police and the operator of the DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) airport were also informed of the situation, ”said the officer.
He added that because India did not grant Ziebat a visa due to his criminal record (crimes are taken into account when evaluating individual visa cases in India), he is not authorized to leave the airport’s transit area. In India, an international passenger can normally remain in transit for only one day, and requires an Indian visa to leave this designated space for travelers passing through the country. The official added that Ziebat has also not formally applied for an Indian visa.
In the movie, The Terminal, Navorski (played by Hanks) arrives at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport from the fictional Eastern European country Krakozhia, only to discover that the United States no longer recognizes Krakozhia as an independent country after the Outbreak of a civil war, and Viktor is not allowed to enter the country or return home because now he has no state. He then stays at the terminal for nine months because he cannot enter the United States.
Ziebat has also been left in the terminal with only his luggage. The airport, in any event, has not been open to regular traffic since March 22, but is operating cargo flights and some special evacuation flights, and is currently involved in the mass repatriation exercise in which some 15,000 stranded Indians In 12 countries they are being taken to different airports across India in the first week of operation.
According to the second airport official, Ziebat has spent most of the past 54 days reading magazines and newspapers, talking on the phone with friends and family, eating at some of the fast-food establishments that still operate within the terminal, interacting with cleanliness and security. staff, walk within the transit area, and use the airport restrooms and toilets. Authorities also provided him with a recliner, mosquito net, toothpaste, food and other essential essentials.
“He told officials that he can manage his expenses. Sleep on beds, benches, on the floor, wherever you want. It is only in the transit area, since it is not being used because the airport is closed to passengers, “said the second officer.
“We confirm that a foreign citizen is currently in the transit area of the international terminal of Delhi airport due to the unavailability of regular flights to transit onward. The corresponding authorities were informed of this in due course. They are in dialogue with the foreign citizen, “said a spokesman for Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
HT could not immediately contact Zeibat for comment.
The second officer quoted earlier said that around mid-April, some officials were concerned about Ziebat’s health. On this, some of the officials were sent to meet Ziebat and found that he was well, physically and mentally. He clearly interacted and was in every way. CCTV footage was also verified, and nothing suspicious was found. Since then, some officers visit the German man regularly to interact with him just to get an idea of his well-being, “he added.
During such interactions, the second officer said, Ziebat had said that he can pay for his tickets if his trip is arranged. “It was discovered that he has visas from various countries. Interested officials have told him that it will only be possible to send him outside once international flights resume, “the official added.
No date has been specified for the resumption of regular international transit from India.
The officer quoted above said Ziebat was asked to leave and go wherever he wanted, but since there are no operational flights, he has been stranded. “About a week ago, attempts were also made to accommodate him on a relief flight to Ankara, Turkey, but the Turkish authorities rejected the proposal, claiming that the flight was only for Turkish citizens or their permanent residents,” the official said.
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