Jet files FIR against loaders who stole $212 from passenger’s luggage

The loaders hired by the company through a private firm were given the work of carrying passengers’ luggage from the flight to the airport

Jet Airways have registered a first information report (FIR) against the four loaders from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport who have been arrested for stealing $212 from the luggage of a flier in Andheri (East) on Wednesday morning. Three of the four loaders have been arrested, while search is on for the fourth man.

The accused have been working at the airport for more than a year. Senior police inspector of Sahar police Baburao Mukhedkar said they are questioning them to check if they have stolen money from other passengers’ luggage in the past.

The loaders hired by the company through a private firm were given the work of carrying the luggage of passengers from the flight to the airport. While the luggage was being transported at around 5am in a vehicle, one of the four accused took out the money from the bag of an unidentified passenger. While the identity of the passenger is yet to be ascertained, the passenger whose money was stolen is expected to report it to the authorities concerned.

The surveillance officer, Santosh Surve, saw one of them hiding the money and caught him. He spilled the beans on his aides. The arrested accused have been identified as Vijay Ambekar, 43, Pravin Chavan, 25, Minad Vichare, 25, and Sunil Sawant, who is untraceable.

The four have been booked under section 380 (theft) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. They were produced before a magistrate’s court on Thursday and remanded in police custody till Saturday.