Airport security officials were already on the lookout for him, apparently, because of videos on his social media platforms.

Police said Mahbubani subsequently told police he liked to dress up in uniforms. They recovered pictures of him dressed in an army uniform from his phone.

“Mahbubani said that he was a frequent flier and used to dress up as a pilot to gain easy access through security, get preferential treatment from security agencies and airlines and seat upgrades,” said Bhatia. “He would use the passage normally used by airline crew.”