A 40-year-old man was arrested by the police on May 13, accused of stealing jewellery and other valuable items from fellow passengers’ handbags on numerous flights.
According to law enforcement officials, the accused, Rajesh Kapoor, allegedly committed these thefts during more than 200 flights over the past year, spanning over 110 days.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani announced Kapoor’s arrest during a press conference at the IGI airport, stating that he was apprehended in Paharganj, where he allegedly stashed the stolen goods. Rangnani mentioned that Kapoor purportedly intended to sell the stolen items to Sharad Jain, a 46-year-old resident of Karol Bagh, who was also arrested.
Rangnani elaborated that two theft incidents, occurring on separate flights over the last three months, prompted the formation of a dedicated IGI Airport team to apprehend the culprits.
One incident involved a passenger losing jewellery worth ₹7 lakh on a flight from Hyderabad to Delhi on April 11, while another passenger reported missing jewellery valued at ₹20 lakh during a flight from Amritsar to Delhi on February 2.
CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports, along with flight manifests, was scrutinized during the investigation, leading to the identification of a suspect who was present on both flights where thefts occurred.
Despite providing a false phone number during booking, the suspect’s real phone number was obtained from the airlines through technological means, facilitating his apprehension. Upon interrogation, Kapoor confessed to his involvement in five cases, including one in Hyderabad, revealing that he spent a significant portion of the stolen money on both online and offline gambling.
Kapoor’s criminal activities extended to 11 cases, encompassing theft, gambling, and criminal breach of trust, with five of them occurring at airports, according to law enforcement sources. Another police official stated that Kapoor targeted vulnerable passengers, particularly elderly women traveling internationally.
