When most people think of safety at the air port, they are so caught up in the ideas of plane hijackings that they forget the luggage that's right beside them. And that's what makes the situation ideal for airport thieves to strike. A recent report states that in the last few years, there has been a sharp rise in cases of baggage theft at IGI Airport. MI Haider, deputy commissioner of police, IGI Airport, says, "From January to August, we have reported 40 cases of baggage theft. These thefts have mostly happened at the screening area, conveyor belts and after you have checked-in your baggage (the baggage management area)." The CISF , which is responsible for security at the airport, pointed out other places where cases of thefts happen regularly . DT breaks down the areas during the check-in procedure where your luggage is the most vulnerable, and when you need to keep a sharper eye on it.
Alighting point
Upon reaching the airport, you're busy clinging on to the memories of the city you're leaving, but it's best to cling on to your luggage as well, because it's while you're saying goodbye to your loved ones or paying the taxi that thefts can occur. In one of the incidents reported, a girl filched a small handbag kept at the top of a trolley, while a family was busy with their lastminute goodbyes. She was, however, caught with the help of CCTV cameras, and later, it was found that she was part of a five-member, bagsnatching gang of girls, who'd stolen from the airport on several occasions.
Checking-in
At the checking-in point, we're checking our tickets and the airport staff's busy checking our passports. The one thing that no one's checking is whether our luggage is being swapped by a thief with identical bags. According to a CISF officer, "While a passenger is busy showing hisher identity card or taking their boarding pass, their bag is replaced with a similar looking bag and the passenger doesn't even get to know. Once, a bag was replaced like this, and after investigation, it was found that a gang was working from Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi airports, which used to steal or replace bags. They had a collection of common looking travel bags which they would replace with a passenger's bag."
Screening area
The screening area has the maximum number of security personnel, which immediately makes one think that it's a theft-free zone. But after you've put your hand baggage in the screening machine and are waiting in a queue to get patted down, there's ample time for someone to walk away with your phone or laptop while you're still trying to figure out what metal object on you is beeping.In fact, the police say that it's one of the top three places from where baggage is stolen. "Most laptop bags look similar. We get frequent complaints of laptops or mobiles being stolen from this area. Laptop bags look the same and security personnel standing at the other side don't know if you are picking your bag or someone else's. So confident thieves can strike quite easily ," says Haider.
Food court
After you've dealt with weeping relatives and finished checking-in, you're ready to sit down with some coffee and relax, or finish up some work while you wait for your flight. Airport thieves know this is when you're most distracted. Ankit Singh, an associate manager in a consultancy firm, was travelling to Mumbai for a business trip when his phone was stolen. He says, "I had a morning flight and missed my breakfast, so I thought I'd have something from the food court. I ordered my food and started working on my laptop, only to realise that my mobile phone was missing. I was afraid of missing my flight if I spent time searching for the phone, so I informed the airport security . They saw the CCTV footage and found out that it was taken by a cleaning staff member. Because I was in a hurry , I didn't file a complaint, but I have learnt my lesson to be cautious even at the airport."
Baggage management area
If your luggage is stolen after you've checked-in your bag or when you are waiting for its arrival at the conveyor belt, there's very little you can do. But after collecting your bag from the conveyor belt, you can check to see if it has been tampered with. According to police, the ground staff at the baggage management area is sometimes involved in baggage theft. A CISF officer says, "The junior staff of airlines has been requested not to bring mobile phones, because often, the planning of theft and its execution is done through these. So if there isn't any means of communication, there won't be any theft.Isse yeh hoga ki agar unke paas mobile phone milta hai, toh enquiry se pata chal jayega ki unka hai ya kisi aur ka.Even CISF officers below the supervisory rank are not allowed to keep a mobile phone with them."
Washroom
Airport security gets blinded by washrooms because it's the one area which has no CCTV cameras. "Toilets don't have any CCTV cameras inside, therefore, thefts that happen inside the toilet become difficult to solve quickly . Except checking cleaning staff members, one can't do much," says a CISF official. Ritu Pandey , a housewife who almost got robbed in a washroom while she was travelling to Bangalore, says, "When I was washing my face, I kept my handbag beside the washbasin. It was crowded and I sensed someone shifting my handbag, but I thought someone was just trying to adjust their own bag there. When I was done, I started looking inside my bag for a towel, but I couldn't find it. When I took another look, I realized it was not my bag at all. I raised an alarm and the female security frisked everyone in the washroom, after which my bag was found on a fellow passenger. She said she got confused between my bag and hers."
Previous incidents of theft at IGI
Housekeeping staff was involved in the theft of $1,900 from the jacket of a passenger.
One ground staff member was involved in theft from checked-in baggage at Terminal 3 One baggage loader was caught for stealing a mobile phone of a passenger who was going to Nagpur.
A passenger coming from the US via Frankfurt and Bahrain, was unable to find one of his bags. He later saw his bag being whisked away by a baggage loader who was disguised as a passenger.
A private airline security inspector caught a baggage loader with three cell phones that were stolen from the luggage of passengers who'd arrived from Hong Kong while on their way to Abu Dhabi.
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