Arrested for suspiciously recording flights near IGI, the UK citizens have to stay back for now

For Stephen Hampton, 46, and friend Steve Ayres, 56, planes are not just mechanical beasts meant to carry passengers and cargo from one place to another. The Britishers belong to the rare breed of men who stand at the edge of airports and observe and log registration numbers of aircraft.


The plane spotters from Bristol, Stephen Hampston and Steve Ayres,
outside the Patiala House court on Wednesday. PICs/RAJEEV TYAGI

But, a visit to India has changed the plane-spotters' priorities. Now, both of them are missing their "ailing" parents, more than the planes they were after.
And a Delhi court on Wednesday ensured that their wait did not end any time soon.
Hampton and Ayres, both from Bristol, were detained after their alleged suspicious activities were reported to the police by the staff at Radisson Hotel near the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Though released on bail after the police and intelligence agencies gave them a clean chit, the Britishers have been charged with offences under the Indian Telegraph Act. They are awaiting clearance from the court to fly back home, but the matter has been posted for another hearing on Friday.

Rajeev Awasthi, counsel for Hampton and Ayres, told MiD DAY that his clients want to go home, as their parents are not keeping well.
"No serious charges have been brought against my clients. They have also been given a clean chit by the

Dangerous Games

Stephen Hampton and Steve Ayres were arrested on February 17 from the Radisson Hotel in New Delhi, two days after the German Bakery blast in Pune. The hotel staff had alerted the police after they caught the duo watching the movement of planes at the nearby Indira Gandhi International Airport from close quarters. The police detained the two railway workers and seized binoculars, a laptop containing Google maps of the Delhi airport, cameras, and an electronic 'gadget' SBS, which can track movements of aircraft. The duo told the police that they were plane-spotters and used binoculars to note registration numbers of the aircraft, cameras for taking photographs and maps to find the best spotting locations. The SBS was being used to monitor aircraft movement during the night. Read Next Story Food price inflation rises to 17.87 pc› Trending Stories Latest Photos Latest Videos Latest Web Stories ADVERTISEMENT Mid-Day Fast ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT