4 loaders working at the airport arrested for stealing mobile phones

The four accused, name withheld by the airport police, were employed with a private firm hired by airport authorities, which offloads flight luggage

The airport police arrested four youngsters working as loaders at the domestic airport in Vile Parle (East) for allegedly stealing mobile phones manufactured by a telecom company being supplied to Mumbai from Goa.

The police are now in the process of recovering the mobile phones. The four accused, name withheld by the airport police, were employed with a private firm hired by airport authorities, which offloads flight luggage.

The incident occurred somewhere between 1am and 9.30am on August 5. The flight coming in from Goa was carrying a consignment of 33 mobile phones. The accused took one of the bags and removed four mobile phones from it, worth Rs47,500, and kept it back.

“It is not clear how they managed to bring it outside the airport premises because they are frisked before they are allowed to leave. However, they were captured on CCTV cameras while handling the bag,” a police source said.

The courier company entrusted with the work of transporting these mobile phones registered a FIR with the airport police on Monday under section 379 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code amounting to theft, which may extend to three years or fine or both.

The accused do not have a prior criminal record. The accused were employed just 45 days ago by the firm. All the accused are aged between 18 and 21 years. They are college drop outs.

A magistrate’s court on Tuesday remanded them to police custody until August 12 for further investigations. The police sought their custody to find out if they are involved in more such cases and where they have kept the stolen phones.