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Accident – Death – Obituary News : A 40-year-old man has been apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for his alleged involvement in a string of thefts targeting passengers’ handbags on multiple flights. The accused, identified as Rajesh Kapoor, is reported to have boarded over 200 flights and travelled for more than 110 days in the past year for the purpose of committing these thefts, as per information provided by the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Usha Rangnani disclosed during a press conference at the IGI airport that Kapoor was arrested in Paharganj, where he had stashed the stolen jewellery. Additionally, plans to sell the stolen items to Sharad Jain, aged 46, were foiled when Jain was also apprehended in Karol Bagh.
The police investigation was triggered by two separate theft incidents reported on different flights over the past three months. One such incident involved a passenger losing jewellery worth Rs 7 lakh while flying from Hyderabad to Delhi on April 11, while another passenger lost valuables worth Rs 20 lakh on a flight from Amritsar to Delhi on February 2.
To track down the perpetrator, a special team was formed at the IGI Airport, which examined CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports, as well as the flight lists. A suspect was identified who appeared on both flights where thefts had occurred. Furthermore, the suspect’s phone number obtained from the airlines turned out to be fake, prompting investigators to use technical means to trace Kapoor’s real phone number and subsequently arrest him.
Upon interrogation, Kapoor confessed to being involved in five cases, including one in Hyderabad, where he admitted to spending the stolen money on gambling, both online and offline. It was further revealed that Kapoor was linked to a total of 11 cases involving theft, gambling, and breach of trust, with five of these incidents taking place at airports. Kapoor’s modus operandi involved targeting vulnerable passengers, particularly elderly women traveling internationally, who were likely to carry valuables in their handbags.
The officer in charge stated that Kapoor strategically chose to travel on premium domestic flights, such as Air India and Vistara, heading to destinations like Delhi, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad, due to the high likelihood of finding valuable items in passengers’ handbags. During the boarding process, Kapoor would discreetly sift through overhead cabins, identifying and stealing valuables from unsuspecting victims’ handbags while they settled into their seats.
To evade detection, Kapoor employed a deceptive tactic of booking tickets under his deceased brother’s name, effectively concealing his true identity from both airlines and law enforcement agencies. This tactic, combined with his methodical approach to targeting passengers and executing thefts during the boarding chaos, allowed Kapoor to operate without attracting suspicion.
The arrest of Kapoor and his accomplice marks a significant breakthrough in addressing the issue of in-flight thefts, and serves as a reminder to passengers to remain vigilant and safeguard their belongings while traveling..
serial jewel thief, vulnerable passengers, caught, India News.
