In an incident raising serious security concerns, the airport security officials on Wednesday arrested a person for trespassing into the protected area of the Cochin airport.
Officials said the person, identity unknown, had broken into the airside at about 2.30 in the morning and was found standing under an aerobridge near the parking bay. Security officials chased him away but he managed to flee from the area.
The police caught him a few hours later following a massive manhunt.
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Confirming the incident, airport sources said that it was a case of apparent slackness from the part of the CISF personnel- entrusted with the responsibility of regulating the entry of people and vehicles into the airside. They also said that the person had accessed entry into the airside by jumping over the perimeter wall from near the gate number 1, though it was still puzzling how he managed to evade the barbed wire fence.
The incident has intrigued the officials in charge of airport security as the area is considered to be a high-security zone. The CIAL (Cochin International Airport Limited) has ordered an investigation into the incident apart from the inquiries by the CISF and the state police.