Question : Theft at Airports

(a) whether increasing incidents of thefts and stealing of valuables from the bags of air passengers have been reported at various airports across the country;

(b) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto along with the number of such incidents reported and FIRs registered in this regard during the last three years and the current year, year-wise and airport-wise; and

(c) the number of officers and employees found guilty in this regard along with the action taken against them and the action taken/being in this regard?

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Dr Mahesh Sharma)

(a) to (c): The incidents of thefts and stealing of valuable from the bags of air passengers are reported at various airports in the country. These cases are reported by complainants to local police or brought to the notice of the airlines concerned. Details of theft cases reported/registered at various airports during 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 (till October, 2015) are annexed.

The incident of theft are a law and order issue, and as a matter of fact the subjects of crime and Law & Order are state subjects, and Ministry of Civil Aviation has no control or mandate over this data/information. The local Police, which is under the jurisdiction of the concerned State Government, register and investigate such cases. The relevant details/data, including the value of stolen articles, property/articles recovered, persons arrested, charge sheets/FIRs filed, status of cases on such thefts pending in courts, penalty awarded to convicts etc. are maintained by the concerned Airlines/Local Police authorities, which are approached by the passengers in such cases for lodging a complaint of theft, etc.