Exposing a shocking security lapse at the Indira Gandhi International airport just two days after the Uri attack, a man scaled the perimeter wall of the airport and roamed around the runway area with a bag in hand, unnoticed for almost half-an-hour. The wall is heavily guarded by Central Industrial Security Force personnel, who are also deployed at watchtowers along the periphery. The intrusion was finally detected when an alarm went off in the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) as the man scaled the wall again to exit the airport.

He said he remained inside the area for about half an hour before scaling the wall again to exit. It was during his escape that the alarm went off. Before handing him over to the police, the CISF had also checked CCTV footage which established his claims," the officer said.

Singh told the cops that he was going to the catch a train to Madhya Pradesh. However, why he scaled the highly secure airport wall remains unclear. Accepting the failure of PIDS, a senior CISF officer admitted the intrusion was a security breach. "The alarm did not ring when he scaled the wall to enter the airport. The matter is being looked into." The officer added that PIDS was currently under the airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

PIDS has remained a controversial installation since it was developed four years ago in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. Security agencies claim that PIDS is a multi-layer security system with around 200 CCTV cameras to capture even the slightest movement near the boundary. The system also has radars, more than 35 watchtowers and a patrolling track along the 25km perimeter wall of the airport.