A string of unresolved baggage theft cases at Mumbai airport has prompted Sahar police to seek wider CCTV coverage in areas where passengers’ luggage moves between conveyor belts and aircraft loading points.
Police suspect that surveillance gaps, along with the involvement of outsourced loaders and ground-handling staff, may be making it difficult to identify those responsible for stealing cash, jewellery and other valuables from baggage.
According to police, Sahar police registered 21 FIRs between January 2025 and September 2026, while airport police registered another five, taking the total to 26 cases. None of the cases has reportedly been solved and no stolen property has been recovered.
The reported losses include approximately ₹38.5 lakh in cash, besides gold and diamond jewellery valued at around ₹67 lakh.
Police officials said they receive roughly 20 baggage theft complaints every month. However, many complaints do not result in FIRs because several affected passengers are based abroad and are unable to return to Mumbai to pursue their cases.
A senior police officer said letters were sent between December 2025 and February 2026 to the Airports Authority of India, the Adani Group, which operates Mumbai airport through Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), and other airport agencies.
Police believe these locations could be vulnerable because bags pass through several stages of handling before being loaded onto aircraft.
Investigators also face difficulties in establishing who had access to individual bags. Much of the baggage handling is carried out by outsourced loaders and third-party ground staff, making it harder for police to narrow down suspects.
The police sought CCTV coverage of areas considered vulnerable, particularly between baggage conveyors and aircraft cargo-loading points.
MIAL, however, has denied receiving such a letter and rejected the claim that the airport has CCTV blind spots. The operator said all airport areas are monitored 24x7 and maintained that baggage theft is the responsibility of airlines.
The issue came into focus after Sahar police registered two FIRs on August 31 following complaints from two Indian medical students travelling to Russia.
Priya Gavai, 22, from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, reported losing $2,000, worth around ₹1.96 lakh, while travelling to Moscow on an EgyptAir flight via Cairo. She reportedly discovered that her bag had been opened and the money was missing after reaching Cairo.
In another case, Sanika Rampurkar, 19, from Ratnagiri, reported that $4,625, or around ₹4.5 lakh, disappeared during her journey to Adler on an Etihad Airways flight. The flight was diverted to Istanbul, and she received her bags after reaching her destination.
Both families said the money had been arranged through savings and loans for medical education and living expenses in Russia.
In another case, two women from Thane alleged that $25,000, worth more than ₹23.6 lakh, was stolen from their checked baggage after travelling from Mumbai to Dubai on a SpiceJet flight on August 26.
An FIR was registered on September 3. The complainants have reportedly asked police to check the attendance records of loaders assigned to the flight and investigate whether someone noticed the cash during baggage screening.
Police have sought CCTV footage and details of airline and ground-handling staff who handled the bags.
Former IPS officer and lawyer Y P Singh called the failure to solve the cases despite the availability of electronic evidence a serious security lapse and alleged a possible nexus between baggage-screening personnel and loaders. The allegations are yet to be established.
The incidents have also highlighted the risks of carrying valuables in checked baggage. SpiceJet advises passengers to keep cash, jewellery and electronics in hand baggage and states that it does not accept responsibility for valuables placed in checked luggage.
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