Won’t frisk? Then forget detecting bullets, knives

It’s learnt that 240 such DFMDs were bought from a Finnish company in the last two years at Rs 5 lakh a piece. The committee got in touch with company officials who said their equipment was used across the globe and that the DFMDs provided to India were based on general specifications laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

According to sources, the equipment could have been customised to detect alloys and non-ferrous metals if the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had only said so. But the AAI apparently chose to gloss over the specifications of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security which mentioned clearly that the equipment must be able to distinguish between metals and non-metals as well as detect alloys.

The Finnish company has tried to explain that bullets without guns are of no use and the detector is capable of detecting guns. Knives, they add, were not initially part of ICAO guidelines. Ministry officials, on the other hand, say the AAI should have ensured the equipment was customised. While this means frisking cannot be completely done away with, sources say, passengers will at least not be physically touched during the screening process.

Meanwhile, the Finnish company has asked Indian officials to visit Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong airports, where the gadgets are in use, to see how the equipment has been customised.