Four baggage handling staffers working at Mangaluru International Airport were arrested along with another person for stealing 56 g of gold jewellery from a passenger’s luggage, the police said on Tuesday, adding that they exploited weak locks or easy password combinations to gain access to passenger belongings.
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On August 30, a woman arriving from Bengaluru on an Air India Express flight discovered that the gold jewellery worth Rs 4.5 lakh had vanished from her checked baggage and immediately reported the theft to the Bajpe police station.
The investigation led to the arrests of four Air India SATS Airport Services employees—identified as Nithin, Sadananda, Rajesh, and Praveen Fernandes—and Raviraj, who allegedly received the stolen gold from the others, who worked as baggage loaders and unloaders.
The police said they recovered approximately 50 g of the stolen jewellery from the accused. All the accused belong to Mangaluru. Four of them have worked with Air India SATS for nearly nine years, according to officials, raising questions about employee screening and monitoring processes.
The police said the investigation revealed that the accused had targeted luggage containing high-value items such as gold and cash, often exploiting weak locks or easily guessed password combinations to gain access to passenger belongings.
A police officer said that Rs 2 lakh was stolen from a passenger’s baggage in January.
The Mangaluru police warned passengers against keeping valuables in checked luggage.
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“We request passengers to avoid placing gold, cash, or other expensive items in their checked bags. This case is a wake-up call—not just for passengers but also for airline security,” a police officer said.
An airport spokesperson said the arrested accused were not MIA employees but were on the payrolls of Air India and Air India Express, part of the TATA group. MIA has been operated by the Adani group since 2020.