Suspecting the role of baggage handlers and ground staffers behind the theft, the police initiated a probe into the matter
Last Thursday, a passenger travelling from New York reported that his bag was damaged and the valuables inside it were stolen at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). Suspecting the role of baggage handlers and ground staffers behind the theft, the police initiated a probe into the matter.
This, however, was not the only incident of theft reported from the airport recently. In fact, the gangs of loaders and housekeeping staffers indulging in this crime have become so active that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has tightened the vigil near the baggage holding area.
Senior officers said these gangs operated in teams that included loaders, airline and ground staffers deployed near the security check areas, and the house-keeping staff. They carry tiny equipment, such as screw drivers, to prise open the bags. The moment a bag with some valuables is detected during screening, the information is passed on to one of the house-keeping staffers, who remain mobile across the floor. They inform the loaders, who carry the luggage to the cargo hold of aircraft after screening. The loaders are the ones to carry out the thefts.
“In many cases, loaders have been found carrying small screwdrivers or pins to pluck off the zip of a bag. After the theft, the zip is attached again. Due to this, the passengers do not suspect anything when they receive the baggage,” a senior police officer said.
Officers further said that those involved in the gang were also aware of the positioning of CCTVs cameras and, therefore, usually escaped easily. “At the baggage handling area, cameras are not positioned correctly, and are even missing at some places. Authorities have been notified but nothing has been done,” a senior CISF official said.
MODUS OPERANDI
- Workers at luggage scanner tip-off the house keeping staffers about valuables. The information is passed on to the ground handlers, who move freely across the floors. The ground handlers then mark the luggage to be identified by the loaders, who carry tiny needles and screw drivers to clip off the zip or break the lock. After removing the valuables, the zip is placed on the bag again to avoid suspicion.
WHAT CAN YOU DO
- Carry valuables in hand baggage.
- Always check the lock of your baggage after receiving it at the destination airport.
- If anything suspicious comes to your notice, report the matter to the police immediately.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "CISF")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}