On the night of Jul 27, Jaber Uddin and his wife, Joyeeta, came from Belgium on a Qatar Airways flight. Among their luggage was a carton which held forty thousand Euros. However, when the carton did not arrive, they lodged a complaint at the lost and found.
Later, after assessing CCTV footage, the police discovered that the carton was taken away by someone else. Though the other person refused to admit it in the beginning, with police help the box was returned.
Such incidents of luggage stealing are common at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport. Though CCTVs have been installed, luggage is being stolen.
Between April and August, airport armed police recovered luggage from 11 persons which did not belong to them.
It’s believed that often, a mistake happens when passengers do not check the tag and inadvertently take luggage belonging to someone else. Sometimes, passengers leave luggage at the airport by mistake but some deliberately steal other people’s luggage.
From April till now luggage was returned to 142 persons.
Currently, 39 airlines operate with an average of 250 flights every day. The authority has also installed CCTV cameras to prevent stealing.
Additional police super of airport armed police, Alamgir Hossain, says: “The condition at the airport has changed; lost or stolen items are being returned to passengers; there are incidents when luggage mishaps are taking place and, in such cases, we are recovering the items to return to the actual owners.”
If a luggage is lost then the airline has to pay $20 per kg as compensation. As per new law approved by the cabinet, if luggage is lost, then the airline has to give $ 1407.
Assistant MD of Regent Airways, K M Zafruzzaman, says: “In our airports, passengers do not check their tags which is resulting in mistakes; since fine has risen, we are forced to check all passengers with added manpower.”
Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, group captain Abu Sayeed Mehboob Khan, says: “We have not heard of any complaint in the last three months about luggage cutting; there are CCTV cameras everywhere and any stealing will eventually be caught.”
Secretary of civil aviation and tourism, Mohibul Huq, stated: “Passengers are getting luggage fast, there are some stealing but with CCTV cameras, the number is very low; we are trying our best and no one can get away after stealing.”