Police identified the trespasser as Haroon Rasheed of Dindigul, who had gone missing from his house six days back.
Chennai: Exposing the security layers at Chennai airport, a 32-year-old man walked into the Link Building that houses VVIP retiring rooms inside the airport building and allegedly tried to molest a 17-year-old girl sleeping in a retiring room and early Friday morning.
As soon as the man entered her room at around 6.30 am and tried to molest her, the girl, an engineering college student, ran out shouting for help. The man was caught by occupants of other rooms as well as airport staff and handed over to the police. The girl, studying in Bengaluru, had reached the airport on Thursday night and was on her way to Port Blair. Her flight to Port Blair was scheduled at 12.30 pm on Friday and she was staying in the retiring room.
Police identified the trespasser as Haroon Rasheed of Dindigul, who had gone missing from his house six days back. Haroon reportedly had a standoff with a CISF aviation security wing guard at around 5.30 am near the domestic arrival gate and later at around 6 am he created a ruckus at the food court asking for free food.
The teenager, in her complaint, said that the man knocked on the door of her room. She opened the door thinking it may be housekeeping staff and the man forced his way in and shut the door. He grabbed her by her hand and planted a kiss on her hand and asked her to do the same. Shocked, the girl escaped from him and opened the door. She ran out and shouted for help from the corridor.
The Link Building is located between the old domestic terminal and the international arrival terminal and can be accessed from outside also. The retiring rooms are meant only for VVIPs and other transit passengers.
A CISF official told this newspaper that the Link Building was not under their jurisdiction and there are private guards outsourced by the Airport Authority of India to look after security there. When contacted, Chennai airport director G.Chandramouli, said the incident pained him. "All steps are being taken to make sure such things do not get repeated," he said, adding that security will be enhanced for the Link Building. Haroon is now in police detention. It appears the man may not have his mental balance right, police said.
