National Desk, 14th May: A 40-year-old man, Rajesh Kapoor, was taken into custody on May 13 for allegedly stealing jewellery and other valuables from fellow passengers’ handbags on multiple flights, according to the police. Kapoor had reportedly taken at least 200 flights over more than 110 days to carry out these thefts over the past year.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani announced at a press conference at the IGI airport that Kapoor was apprehended in Paharganj, where he had been storing the stolen items. Kapoor intended to sell the valuables to Sharad Jain, a 46-year-old resident of Karol Bagh, who has also been arrested.
Two distinct theft incidents on flights were reported in the last three months, prompting the formation of a special IGI Airport squad to find the offenders. On April 11, a traveller from Hyderabad to Delhi reported jewellery worth Rs 7 lakh missing. Another theft was reported on February 2, when a passenger flying from Amritsar to Delhi lost jewellery valued at Rs 20 lakh.
During the investigation, CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports and flight manifests were analyzed. A suspect, seen on both flights where thefts occurred, was identified. Although the suspect had provided a false phone number when making reservations, the correct number was retrieved from the airlines.
Technological monitoring led to the location and capture of Kapoor’s phone number. Upon questioning, Kapoor admitted to being involved in five cases, including one in Hyderabad. He revealed that he spent most of the stolen cash on online and offline gambling.
Kapoor has been found involved in 11 cases of theft, gambling, and criminal breach of trust, including five airport thefts. Another police officer stated that Kapoor targeted vulnerable passengers, particularly elderly women traveling internationally.
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