Caught in the act: A porter working for Lion Air, Indonesia's biggest budget airline, opens passenger luggage before proceeding to take belongings, as seen in closed circuit television (CCTV) footage supplied by state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II
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Soekarto-Hatta
International Airport police arrested four employees of the country's biggest
budget carrier Lion Air on suspicion of stealing passengers' possession from
luggage, a police officer said on
Monday.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr.Comr. Mohamamd Iqbal identified the perpetrators only
as S, 22, and M, who worked as Lion Air baggage handlers and airline security
officers A, 28, and H, 29.
"They opened the passengers' luggage and took the belongings in the
airplane's hull," he said as quoted by Antara news agency on Monday.
Iqbal explained that the police initially arrested A, H, and M on Dec. 18 after
discovering their misconduct from closed circuit television (CCTV) footage recorded
on Nov. 16.
Investigation of the three men revealed that they worked together to steal
passengers' belongings. The police also arrested S in Kalideres, West Jakarta, on Monday.
S told investigators that he stolen goods from passengers' bags on 13 occasions
in the past year. He reportedly stole a mobile phone from a passengers' bag on a
plane operated by Batik Air -- a full service airline and subsidiary of Lion
Group -- on Dec. 16.
Lion Air has been in the spotlight in recent years following cases related to
the airliner. Known for delayed flights, the airline was recently in the
spotlight over the arrest of three of its crew members on drug charges in December.
State airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) will tighten the security of
passengers' luggage following the incident, according to the senior general
manager of the firm, Zulfahmi.
He said on Monday that AP II would install more CCTVs throughout the airport. "We will strive to help airlines manage luggage theft," he said.
AP II will also coordinate with airlines and ground crew to improve services at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. (rin)
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