New Delhi:
Theft of a mobile handset in the Capital is considered little more than a nuisance and the victim is usually compelled to buy a new one due to lack of enthusiasm in the police department to recover the lost article. But if the target bears the Gandhi surname, things begin to happen.
An employee of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was arrested on Monday for stealing All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi's mobile.
Sources at the airport said soon after he told his securitymen about the missing handset, a manhunt was launched and the culprit was apprehended the very next day.
The incident took place on the night of June 25 when Rahul had arrived from London on an Emirates flight after his Europe visit. He was there to celebrate his birthday that falls on June 19. This was the second consecutive year when Rahul celebrated his birthday outside India, sources said.
According to sources, Rahul Gandhi came to know about the theft only after he had reached home. "He informed the officials of the Special Protection Group, which guards him. The SPG then contacted the CISF, which in turn started a quiet investigation and reviewed the close-circuit TV footage and list of people working at the airport when the incident occurred," sources said.
The technical surveillance carried out by the CISF helped them detect the lost mobile phone. "The CISF personnel identified two baggage handlers who were working for a private firm as suspects and questioned them. One of them accepted that he had stolen the phone from the baggage and handed it over to the security personnel," the sources said.
No case was lodged, as that would have brought the matter into limelight. Police officials at the airport said they did not have any clue about the incident.
No official from the airport or from the security agencies was prepared to be quoted on anything about the incident.
The mobile phone reportedly contained personal and official numbers and other information crucial to Rahul. Sources further said that no tampering of any sort has been reported with the phone. Meanwhile, the private agency has removed the person from his job. Incidentally, this is the fifth incident of its kind that has been reported from the Delhi airport in the last three months, sources said.
Dinkar Shetty, President, Air Passenger Association of India, has said that such incidents have become very common. "One of the reasons behind this is that most of these people at the airport are working on contract basis. Also agencies are careless while recruiting people," said Shetty.
Shetty suggested that airport operators should increase surveillance. "A major part of every airport in the country remains under inadequate observation. The operators should increase the surveillance to thwart such cases," he said.