Eight loaders held for theft of valuables from check-in baggage

The gang that did not leave any trace of their crime all these days landed in the net after it made a mistake in re-affixing a check-in seal during the theft of Rs. 1.52 lakh in cash from the baggage of a Coimbatore bound passenger from Vijayawada on August 8. Sources said, the gang had opened the passenger’s check-in baggage at Chennai after breaking the seal and later affixed a Chennai check-in seal on the baggage, giving the police a vital clue that the baggage was opened at Chennai airport. 

“Acting on this clue, we then picked up one of the luggage loaders employed by Aeroglobe, a manpower supply agency and grilled him. During interrogations, he confessed that they have been looting valuables from baggage with the knowledge of Aeroglobe proprietor. Whenever the airline companies raised a complaint, the proprietor compensated them for the loss,” Airport police inspector Venkat Kumar told DTNext. 

Following the revelation, police arrested eight persons identified as Jayaprakash (22) Rajesh alias Rajesh Kumar (23), Mahesh alias Maheshwaran (24), Saravanan (23), Naveen Raj (25), Vadivel (25), Ranjith Kumar (27) and Elangovan (42). 

Venkat Kumar said that though the Aeroglobe proprietor was aware for the crime, he did not sack the staff as he feared that he might not be able to get fresh hands to work for him.

“The youth might have resorted to this kind of illegal act owing to the poor pay. The Aeroglobe proprietor was receiving Rs 15,000 monthly per staff from the airlines and paid only Rs 8,500 to his workers. Around 600 were working in the Aeroglobe and the agency is handling the baggage loading service for five airlines at Chennai,” inspector added.

Police said the modus operandi of the gang was to break open the baggage inside the aircraft, when they load it into the cargo section in the passenger aircraft. “CCTV cameras cover the process from the check-in counters till the baggage is loaded on to the aircraft. But, there is no camera surveillance inside the aircraft and the accused took advantage of it,” the official added. 

Most of these thefts go either unreported or settled without the knowledge of the police as the targeted passenger realise the loss only after they reach their houses or hotels. “Of course, we have received e-mails from places like Singapore or Malaysia with complaints of missing valuables. But, the airport authorities may not be ready to agree on their location as the scene of crime,” another airport official said.

Police is also preparing an adverse notice against Aeroglobe, which tried to suppress the cases of thefts by its workers.