Four Airport Staff Detained for Gold Theft at Mangaluru International Airport
Mangaluru, September 1, 2025: Bajpe police have detained four airport employees in connection with the theft of a gold necklace from a passenger’s trolley bag at Mangaluru International Airport.
The victim, Rajeshwari Padmashali, wife of CRPF jawan Harikesh, had arrived on an Air India Express flight from Bengaluru on Saturday morning to attend a family wedding. After collecting her baggage at 9:30 am, she noticed her trolley bag’s lock was broken and discovered a gold necklace weighing 56 grams, valued at around ₹4.5 lakh, was missing.
Rajeshwari promptly filed a complaint with the Bajpe police. Authorities registered a case and launched a probe. Preliminary inquiries led to the detention of four staff members involved in baggage handling, with two formally arrested so far.
Investigations also indicate that similar thefts involving gold, mobile phones, and other valuables from passengers’ bags had occurred previously, causing increasing passenger complaints. The police continue to investigate the case to uncover the full extent of the activity.
