Jakarta, July 23: Police in Indonesia recently caught a man who boarded a domestic flight disguised as his wife. The man hid his real identity by wearing niqab or veil because he allegedly wanted to take the flight despite being coronavirus (COVID-19) positive. His cover dropped when a flight attendant spotted him changing clothes in the lavatory. Subsequently, he was arrested upon landing. Indonesian Therapist, Who Inhaled Breath of COVID-19 Patient, Dies of Coronavirus (Watch Video).

The coronavirus-positive man boarded a Citilink plane flying from Jakarta to Ternate in North Maluku province on July 18. He was wearing niqab and had covered his face to conceal his identity. He also submitted fake IDs and a PCR test result showing her (him) negative for COVID-19. Though he managed to dupe airport authorities in Jakarta, a flight attendant caught him changing clothes. As Indonesia Mulls Easing Lockdown, WHO Urges Tougher Restrictions.

"He bought the plane ticket with his wife’s name and brought the identity card, the PCR test result and the vaccination card with his wife’s name. All documents are under his wife’s name," Ternate police chief Aditya Laksimada told Associated Press. The flight attendant informed the authorities in Ternate and the man was taken into custody upon landing.

The man was taken for a COVID-19 test and the results came positive. He is currently self-isolating at home, while further investigation is underway. Indonesia, battling a spurt in coronavirus cases, has mandated negative COVID-19 test report for necessary air travel. The Asian country has so far reported 2.9 million COVID-19 cases including 77,583 deaths.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2021 02:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).