Man takes 200 flights to steal jewellery from co-passengers

Delhi Police arrest man for stealing jewellery from co-passengers on flights, targeting vulnerable passengers, using deceptive tactics.

A 40-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing jewellery and other valuables from handbags of co-passengers on various flights, Delhi Police said on May 13.

The accused, Rajesh Kapoor, took at least 200 flights and travelled for more than 110 days during the past year to commit thefts, the police said.

At a press conference at the IGI airport, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani said Mr. Kapoor had been arrested from Paharganj, where he allegedly kept the stolen jewellery.

He was planning to sell them to Sharad Jain, 46, who has also been arrested from Karol Bagh, she said.

Ms. Rangnani said two separate cases of thefts were reported on separate flights in the past three months, after which a dedicated team from IGI Airport was formed to nab the culprits.

On April 11, a passenger lost her jewellery worth ₹7 lakh while travelling from Hyderabad to Delhi. Another theft was reported on February 2, where a passenger had lost jewellery items worth ₹20 lakh while he was travelling from Amritsar to Delhi.

Ms. Rangnani said that during investigations, CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports and the flight manifests were analysed.