A 40-year-old man has been apprehended by the Delhi Police on suspicion of pilfering jewelry and other valuable items from fellow passengers’ handbags during flights, authorities revealed on Monday.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police Usha Rangnani disclosed that the individual, identified as Kapoor, was apprehended in Paharganj, where he purportedly stashed the stolen jewelry. Rangnani further mentioned that Kapoor intended to vend the items to Sharad Jain, 46, who was also apprehended from Karol Bagh.
According to Rangnani, the arrest came after two separate incidents of theft were reported on different flights over the past three months, prompting the formation of a specialized team from the IGI Airport to apprehend the culprits. One incident occurred on April 11, where a passenger reported a loss of jewelry valued at ₹7 lakh while traveling from Hyderabad to Delhi. Another theft was reported on February 2, where a passenger lost jewelry items worth ₹20 lakh while traveling from Amritsar to Delhi.
Rangnani stated that investigative efforts included the analysis of CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports, as well as examination of flight manifests. A suspect was identified as he was observed on both flights where thefts occurred.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the suspect had provided a fake phone number during booking, but his original number was traced through technical means. Upon interrogation, Kapoor admitted involvement in five cases, including one in Hyderabad, revealing that he had spent a significant portion of the proceeds on gambling.
Kapoor was implicated in a total of 11 cases, including theft, gambling, and criminal breach of trust, with five cases related to airport incidents. Another police official disclosed Kapoor’s modus operandi, stating that he targeted vulnerable passengers, particularly elderly women on international flights. Exploiting the tendency of such passengers to carry valuables in their handbags, Kapoor strategically chose premium domestic flights, notably Air India and Vistara, bound for destinations like Delhi, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad.
The official further explained that Kapoor would take advantage of the chaos during boarding to surreptitiously search overhead cabins and pilfer valuables from unsuspecting victims’ handbags while passengers settled into their seats. In some instances, Kapoor even changed his seat to be closer to his target. His meticulous timing during the boarding process enabled him to operate without detection.
To evade identification, Kapoor employed a deceptive tactic of booking tickets under his deceased brother’s name to conceal his identity from airlines and law enforcement agencies.
