'High-handed' immigration officers at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport are giving nightmares to air travellers - even if they are domestic flyers.

Passengers from Mumbai to Delhi became the latest victims as they were ‘detained’ for nearly three hours at Terminal- 3 after they objected to the rude behaviour of immigration staff.

Three domestic passengers — two software developers and one senior doctor from Mumbai — have alleged that the immigration officials ganged up, abused and manhandled them and also tried to snatch their mobile phones.

Passengers were detained for nearly three hours at the Indira Gandhi International Airport after they objected to an immigration official allegedy behaving rudely with an elderly citizen. (Picture for representation only.)

Victim Abhishek Baxi, who is a software developer, reached IGI Airport on the intervening night of March 4 and 5 along with his business partner.

“Around 12.30am, I landed at the IGI airport through an international flight (AI314) coming from Hong Kong. There was some confusion or mismanagement at the exit queue for domestic passengers. An argument ensued between some passengers and the immigration official stamping the boarding passes. I was far behind in the queue, and although I heard the noise, I did not know what the argument was about. When I reached the official’s counter to get the pass stamped, he spoke rudely to a senior citizen to which I objected,” Baxi told Mail Today.

Later, some other officials of the immigration department joined him.

According to the complainant, officials were angry with him because he asked them to behave properly with a senior citizen.

Later, a senior official of the immigration department arrived on the scene - but instead of sorting out the matter, he blamed Abhishek, his business partner, and Dr Susheel Mahindroo, a senior doctor with Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai, for the sequence of events.

After analysing the CCTV footage, he later asked Abhishek to write a compromise letter.

“The immigration officials took me, my business partner and Dr Mahindroo to a room for questioning. Some other officials joined them and abused and threatened us. Later, a Delhi Police sub-inspector and a senior immigration official came and asked us to follow them as they wanted to take us to a different room. As we were walking towards the office of Immigration Bureau, one of the officials pushed me and tried to snatch my phone. He abused me. He also pushed the doctor who fell down on the spot,” Baxi told Mail Today.

According to the complainant, immigration officials forced him to write a compromise letter before leaving IGI Airport.

“In that room, senior officials kept us waiting for almost one hour and after that officials forced me to write a compromise letter before leaving IGI Airport. When I refused to do it, he went out,” the complainant said.

The victim complained that immigration officials forced them to wait for almost three hours and the three could only leave the airport at around 3am.

Abhishek has filed a complaint with Delhi Police and the civil aviation ministry requesting action against the erring officials.