The mobile phone of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was stolen from the New Delhi IGI airport a few days ago but was recovered later allegedly from the possession of a baggage-loader who admitted that he had stolen it from Mr Gandhi’s baggage, sources said on Monday.
Mr Gandhi, who had reportedly returned to New Delhi from a visit abroad, realised later at home that his mobile phone was missing from the check-in baggage. The Special Protection Group (SPG) alerted the CISF — that guards Delhi airport —— and an investigation was ordered. During the probe, two baggage-loaders, who had apparently handled the check-in baggage, were identified out of which one allegedly confessed to the theft and handed over the stolen phone back to authorities.
Officials refused to comment on whether the culprit had been detained as part of the investigation or whether he had been released after dismissing him from his job at the airport.
Surprisingly, no complaint was forwarded by authorities to the Delhi police and so, no case has been registered. Baggage-loaders are responsible for transfer of check-in baggage of passengers to and from aircraft.
The incident reflects the need by airlines to thoroughly verify the antecedents of baggage-loaders. Sources say one of the problems is that airlines have increasingly started outsourcing the task of baggage-loading to external agencies. Sources also said that corrupt baggage-loaders could prove to be a security hazard at airports and that the incident was a wake-up call for security agencies.
No formal reaction to the incident was issued by any of the government agencies who had probed the matter. However, government sources expressed concern at the incidents of theft at airports across the country. With the Delhi airport readying to receive international participants at the Games, this incident is bound to trigger more effective background checks.