New Delhi, Mar 13, (PTI): An Air India pilot has been arrested in the capital for allegedly using forged marksheets to procure a licence from country's airline regulator, the second such incident in the past four days.
Captain J K Verma was apprehended here late last night after following investigations into a complaint filed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which claimed that some of the pilots had forged marksheets to get licence.
"We have arrested Verma. Investigations are on. We have been provided more names by the DGCA. The scanner is on two more pilots Meenakshi Sehgal of Indigo and Swaran Singh Talwar of MDLR," a senior police official said. Verma is in his 40s.
Verma allegedly forged marksheets of Pilot License Examination for obtaining the licence.
The official said Sehgal, a resident of North Delhi, and Talwar, a resident of Jaipur, were absconding.
Delhi Police's Crime Branch had on March 8 arrested Parminder Kaur Gulati (38), a suspended pilot of Indigo, for allegedly obtaining the mandatory Airlines Transport Pilot License (ALTP) using forged documents.
According to Civil Aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi, the licenses of 3,000 to 4,000 pilots are being scrutinised by DGCA following the arrest of Gulati on charges of forging documents to procure the license.
"Commercial pilot licenses are being scrutinised following this incident," Zaidi has said,
With ATPL, one can become a co-pilot and to get a full fledged commercial pilot licence one should have ATPL with adequate flying hours. Gulati was grounded on January 11 following an incident of hard landing of an Indigo in Goa.
During initial enquiry by DGCA, it was found that she had allegedly submitted forged result card of Pilot License Examination of January 2009 for obtaining ALTP. On the basis of the complaint, a case was registered.
"It emerged that the result card of Pilot License Examination submitted by Gulati as proof of passing Air Navigation and Radio Aids and Instruments subjects in January 2009 session for obtaining ALTP license was forged," he said.
Actually, he said, she had failed in Air Navigation and was absent in the other paper of Radio Aids and Instruments.
She again appeared for the above subjects in April 2009 session and July 2009 session but on the both the occasions, she could not clear the papers.
In order to obtain ATPL, a pilot has to clear three subjects -- Aviation Meteorology, Air Navigation and Radio Aids & Instruments.
Gulati had cleared Aviation Meterology in April 2008 but inspite of repeated attempts, she could not clear Air Navigation and Radio Aids & Instruments.
"She submitted forged result card of passing Air Navigation and Radio Aids & Instruments to DGCA in November 2009 and on she was issued ATPL License," he said.