On September 21, 2025, a 13-year-old boy from Kunduz, Afghanistan, landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi inside the landing gear compartment of Kam Air flight RQ-4401 from Kabul. Driven by a desire to travel to Tehran, Iran, the boy had left home without informing his family, bypassed Kabul airport security without a ticket, passport, or visa, and climbed into the rear wheel well of an aircraft believing it was bound for Iran. He survived the 90-minute flight at an altitude of nearly 40,000 feet and temperatures reaching -50°C. Upon landing, Delhi airport ground staff spotted him near the taxiway, and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials took him into custody. Authorities checked his medical condition, verified his identity with his family in Kunduz via WhatsApp, and concluded he had no criminal intent. Deciding against filing charges or detaining him in a juvenile facility, Indian authorities arranged for his return to Kabul on the same aircraft's afternoon flight as a passenger and reunited him with his family.
Country: India
State/Province: Delhi, India
City/Region: Delhi
Incident Type: Non-Murder
Relationship Status: None
Relationship Duration:
Incident Date: Sept. 21, 2025
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How the relationship or connection began.
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
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2025-09-21
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English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Crime Tak - India · Original language: Hindi
EP 2072: -50°C,40 हज़ार Feet की ऊंचाई- 13 साल का बच्चा Plane के पहिए में बैठकर Kabul से Delhi पहुंचा
Unknown
This report describes an international aviation security breach involving a runaway minor stowaway, rather than a domestic or romantic dispute. The minor acted out of a fixation to travel to Iran, exploiting security lapses at Kabul International Airport. The incident highlights issues surrounding airport perimeter security, stowaway survival factors, and international security coordination rather than relationship dynamics.
This case does not appear to be primarily relationship-driven. Delhi airport ground staff detected the minor on the taxiway shortly after landing. CISF and Intelligence Bureau (IB) personnel interrogated the boy, conducted medical checks, and contacted Afghan authorities and his family in Kunduz to verify his identity. Upon confirming his innocence and absence of malicious intent, authorities decided not to press charges or detain him in a juvenile facility, opting to deport him back to Kabul on the return Kam Air flight at 4:00 PM the same day.
Initial confusion centered on how an unbefriended minor without a boarding pass, passport, or visa managed to bypass multi-layer security at Kabul International Airport and gain access to the runway and aircraft landing gear unnoticed.
The minor traveled from Kunduz to Kabul on September 20, 2025, and entered Kabul International Airport late at night. Mistakenly believing Kam Air flight RQ-4401 was bound for Tehran, he slipped into the rear wheel well before takeoff on September 21. After surviving the 90-minute flight to Delhi, he emerged on the taxiway, where ground crew spotted him and alerted CISF security forces.
Surviving inside an unpressurized aircraft landing gear at high altitudes poses extreme mortality risks due to hypoxia, severe hypothermia (-50°C), ear drum trauma from engine noise, and mechanical crushing during gear retraction. Historical FAA data cited in the report indicates a 77% fatality rate among wheel-well stowaways.
Aviation security systems require stringent perimeter controls to prevent ground access to aircraft landing gear, particularly in high-risk foreign airports. Inter-agency coordination between CISF, IB, and international counterparts enabled a swift humanitarian resolution for a minor stowaway.
The boy repeatedly expressed a desire to leave home for Iran to his family members in Kunduz, who dismissed his comments due to his age before he abruptly ran away.
A ground staff member spotted the child wearing a khaki kurta-pyjama and coat standing near the rear wheels on the taxiway before passengers had deboarded.
Physical presence on the restricted taxiway, absence of luggage other than a small red speaker, family verification via WhatsApp photo, and flight records confirmed his account.
Delhi airport ground staff reported seeing a small child loitering near the aircraft's rear landing gear on the taxiway before passenger doors were opened.
Initial concerns over a security threat or unlawful infiltration were resolved after IB questioning and contact with the child's parents in Kunduz established his age, identity, and childish misconception about flight destinations.
How the minor successfully breached security checkpoints and perimeter defenses at Kabul International Airport remains unaddressed in the source.