Coronavirus lockdown: German national 'living' at Delhi airport for 2 months

Delhi airport (Image: Flickr)

The suspension of international flights in view of the coronavirus pandemic has left several persons across the world stranded thousands of miles away from their homes.

One such case involves a German national, who has been living in the transit area of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport for nearly two months.

40-year-old  Edgard Ziebat has been stranded at the Delhi airport since March 18, Hindustan Times has reported. The German national was travelling from Hanoi to Istanbul on March 18, when all flights to and from Turkey were cancelled by the Indian government in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases

When Ziebat landed in New Delhi as a transit passenger, he realised that all flights to Istanbul had got cancelled. Four days later, all international flights were completely suspended to contain the spread of the deadly virus, and the nationwide lockdown was imposed shortly after.

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Ziebat was not the only foreign national who got stranded due to the unfortunate turn of events. But, owing to his criminal record in his native land, matters got complicated for him. His own country refused to take his custody because he is at a foreign location, while India refused to give him a visa because of his criminal background.

Commenting on why the German national is still stranded at the airport, a security officer at the IGI said, “While others were facilitated by their embassies concerned and were taken for quarantine, officials from the German embassy informed the Indian bureau of immigration that Ziebat is a wanted criminal in their country with several cases of assault and other crimes registered against him. Since he was on foreign land, they did not take his custody. The Delhi Police and airport operator DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) were also apprised of the situation.”

Ziebat is not authorised to leave IGI’s transit area and spends his time reading magazines and newspapers these days. He eats at some of the fast food outlets at the airport that are still operational and interacts with security and housekeeping staff from time to time. Notably, international passengers are allowed to stay in transit for only one day under normal circumstances.

The German national has been provided with essentials such as toothpaste, food, mosquito net, and a recliner, among others. He has reportedly claimed to have enough to financially sustain himself.

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