Theft of Airport Luggage

Stolen items worth Tk30 lakh recovered

Alleged gang leader arrested

2 January 2012, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

An alleged leader of a gang carrying out organised theft of passengers' luggage was arrested by police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday night. Through information obtained from the arrested Joynal Abedin, 54, police raided the residence of one Hasanuzzaman at Kawla Bazar in Dakkhin Khan and recovered an estimated Tk 30 lakh worth of stolen items including, cosmetics, clothes, electronic appliances and cellphones. Joynal was arrested as he aroused the suspicion of the intelligence wing members of Armed Police Battalion while moving around the airport's car park with a television. One among the intelligence personnel, requesting anonymity, said there are around 60 members of several such gangs stealing luggage in connivance with some corrupt staff of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. They either steal the luggage or take out the goods by cutting those open, he added. Joynal was arrested in January last year with nine pieces of stolen luggage and jailed. He recently obtained bail and again started stealing luggage, said police. Police filed a case against Joynal.