Qatar diplomat latest victim of theft from checked-in baggage

A diplomat from Qatar became the latest victim of thieves operating inside Terminal 3 of the Delhi airport. Hassan Ibrahim, minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the state of Qatar, had filed a complaint with the police station of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) about the theft of cash from his checked-in baggage.

A diplomat from Qatar became the latest victim of thieves operating inside Terminal 3 of the Delhi airport. Hassan Ibrahim, minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the state of Qatar, had filed a complaint with the police station of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) about the theft of cash from his checked-in baggage.

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Police said such cases are becoming a cause of concern for both the passengers and the police. Over 50 such incidents have been reported in the past six months.

“Most of the pilferage takes place after unloading of the baggage. After unloading, the baggage comes to the terminal in a container and those involved in handling the container carry out these thefts,” said a senior police officer.

Sources say that Ibrahim had come to Delhi from Doha by a Qatar Airways flight on November 14. “He put one envelope containing $10,000 and R2500 in the pocket of his checked-in suitcase. On arrival when he checked his baggage, the envelop was missing,” the officer added. As the FIR in the matter was registered only on Wednesday, the delay is going to hamper investigation.

“We largely depend on CCTV footages. But the cameras installed at Delhi airport can store footage for 14 days only. As the case came to light on November 15, we won’t be able to scan CCTV footages now," the officer said.

So far, investigation in such cases has revealed the involvement of ground-handling staff. “The area is under CCTV surveillance but the thieves are clever enough to avoid them. They open the bag inside the container itself,” the officer added.