The police said that during investigation, CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports and the flight manifests were analysed. A suspect was shortlisted as he was seen on both flights on which theft incidents were reported.
The Delhi Police have arrested a 40-year-old man, Rajesh Kapoor, for allegedly stealing jewellery and valuables from handbags of co-passengers on multiple flights. Kapoor, who took over 200 flights and spent more than 110 days in the air over the past year, was apprehended from Paharganj. Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani revealed that Kapoor had stored the stolen jewellery in Paharganj and intended to sell them to Sharad Jain, 46, who was also arrested from Karol Bagh.
Following two separate incidents of theft on different flights in the last three months, a specialized team from the IGI Airport was established to capture the perpetrators. One such incident occurred on April 11, when a passenger lost jewellery valued at Rs 7 lakh while traveling from Hyderabad to Delhi. The swift action of the police led to the arrest of Kapoor and Jain. Another theft was reported on February 2, where a passenger had lost jewellery items worth Rs 20 lakh while he was travelling from Amritsar to Delhi.
The police said that during investigation, CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports and the flight manifests were analysed. A suspect was shortlisted as he was seen on both flights on which theft incidents were reported. The officer said the phone number of the suspected passenger was obtained from the airlines concerned, but he had provided a fake number at the time of booking. After technical surveillance, Kapoor’s original phone number was traced and he was caught.
The officer said that taking advantage of the chaos while boarding, the accused would secretly rifle through overhead cabins, carefully assessing and stealing valuables from unsuspecting victims’ handbags while passengers settled into their seats. On several occasions, after zeroing in on its target, he even got his seat changed from the airline to sit near the target, he said.
His method, carefully timed to coincide with the distractions inherent in the boarding process, allowed him to operate undetected. To further evade detection, Kapoor employed a deceptive tactic – booking tickets under his deceased brother’s name – to shield his identity from both airlines and law enforcement agencies.
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