New Delhi: A theft racket operating inside Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport was busted on Saturday, with the police apprehending 8 persons for alleged role in sneaking out valuables including jewellery & iPhones.

The IGI police team recovered gold & jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh, 6 premium watches, Apple iPhones and more than Rs 1 lakh cash from their custody. A total of 8 persons working with the airport ground handling agencies have been nabbed. With the arrest of ground, the police have solved at least 4 cases of baggage theft registered at the IGI unit.

The IGI police team was working with the vigilance wing of various airlines & other agencies to trace the accused who were working inside the terminal and clandestinely lifting goods & stealing from the baggage of fliers. These loaders, engaged with different airlines & ground handling agencies were behind many cases of theft registered at the airport.

The police nabbed them after keeping their movement under lens for sometime. In one of the cases, a loader named Deepak Pal tried to pilfer from a checked-in baggage of a passenger who was to board the flight.

When caught by police, the accused disclosed that a theft racket was operating within the Airport and it involved a couple of men who would steal goods from passengers’ baggage at an opportune time. It was on his tip-off that the police nabbed 7 more loaders, engaged with ground handling staff of other airlines. These accused started with small-time theft and then formed a racket to rob passengers of their valuable goods from their baggage, including cash.

The IGI police also made the disclosure about valuable goods recovered from the ‘airport thieves’. They included:

1. One Gold Bangle (26.88 gms)
2. One Gold Locket with Morya (2.60 gms)
3. Two Gold Rings (2.69 gms)
4. One gold locket with Rudra (4.45 gms)
5. One Gold Locket (5.04 gms)
6. One gold ear tops (5.59 gms)
7. One gold ear tops (4.53 gms)
8. One gold ear tops (2.18 gms)
9. One Gold chain (1.13 gms)
10. One Gold Chain (9.31 gms)
11. One Silver baby Bangle (11.86 gms)
12. One pair silver baby Bangle (20.37 gms)
13. Seven pair silver Bichchiya (21 gms)
14. One pair silver Tagadi (338.41 gms)
15. One Apple I-Phone
16. One Apple watch
17. Five watches
18. 09 US Dollar
19. Rs. 1,15,000/-
20. Five I-Pods
21. Two leather purse.

Post the busting of racket, the police had also a caution message for frequent fliers. In a statement issued by Ravi Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport), it advised the fliers to keep their valuable items including jewellery, cash & electronic goods in their hand-held luggage, rather than putting them in check-in baggage.