Indian Man took 200 Flights to Steal Valuables from Passengers

An Indian man allegedly took at least 200 flights over the past year to steal jewellery and other valuables from passengers’ carry-on luggage.

Delhi Police said the suspect has been arrested.

He has been identified as 40-year-old Rajesh Kapoor.

According to the police, Kapoor travelled for more than 110 days during the last year to commit these thefts.

Delhi’s deputy commissioner of police Usha Rangnani said the accused is now in police custody.

Ms Rangnani said Kapoor was arrested from the city’s Paharganj area where he had allegedly kept the stolen jewellery.

Police mentioned that he was planning to sell the stolen valuables to an individual named Sharad Jain, who was arrested from Karol Bagh.

Ms Rangnani said that within the last three months, two separate theft cases were reported on different flights in India.

A specialised team was assembled at Indira Gandhi International Airport to apprehend the perpetrators.

On April 11, 2024, a passenger reported the loss of jewellery valued at Rs. 700,000 (£6,685) during their journey from Hyderabad to Delhi.

A similar incident occurred on February 2, where a passenger lost jewellery items worth Rs2,000,000 (£19,000) while travelling from Amritsar to Delhi.

Ms Rangnani said during investigations, CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports, along with flight manifests, was scrutinised.

A suspect was then identified who appeared on both flights where the thefts occurred.

Despite initially providing a fake number, the suspect’s original phone was traced, leading to his arrest.

Police said Kapoor confessed to involvement in five cases, admitting to gambling most of the stolen cash.

He was implicated in 11 cases, including theft, gambling, and breach of trust, with five cases occurring at airports.

Police said he targeted vulnerable passengers, especially elderly women.

He also reportedly chose premium domestic flights, such as Air India and Vistara, flying to destinations such as Delhi, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad.

The Indian man would discreetly search overhead cabins during boarding, stealing valuables from unsuspecting passengers’ handbags.

Reportedly, he sometimes changed seats to be closer to his target, taking advantage of boarding distractions to operate unnoticed.

To conceal his identity, Kapoor booked tickets under his deceased brother’s name.

In 2019, it was reported that a 37-year-old man named Rajesh Kapoor was arrested from Delhi’s IGI airport for allegedly cheating by impersonation.

The report added that Kapoor had previously been also allegedly involved in several theft cases at railway stations and IGI airport.

It reported that he had been blacklisted by several flights that barred him from flying.

However, there is no clear information to establish that the man arrested is the same person booked by the police in 2019.