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t least a dozen baggage handlers from Indonesia'€™s largest airline group Lion Air at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, were involved in recent luggage thefts, the police have said.

Soekarno-Hatta Police'€™s criminal unit head, Comr. azhari Kurniawan, said Wednesday that Lion Air had four groups of baggage handlers who worked in shifts. Each group consisted of around 20 workers.

According to Azhari, a suspect in the recent case identified as S had revealed that more than half of his group had been involved in the recent thefts.

'€œOut of 20, 12 or more baggage handlers were allegedly involved in the luggage theft syndicate,'€ azhari said on Thursday.

Previously, two baggage handlers and two security officers from Lion Air, identified as S, M, A and H, were detained by the police after closed-circuit television (CCTV) recorded S opening a passenger'€™s luggage.

The suspects admitted to the police that they had committed similar crimes 13 times within one year. They mostly looked for perfume, cash, gadgets and cigarettes.

Azhari said that aside from the four, the police were currently hunting down the other suspects.

Azhari added that based on S'€™ testimony, long-serving staff members took part in forcing baggage handlers into breaking into passengers'€™ luggage. The suspect said that if they did not agree to steal, their colleagues would bully them or even excommunicate them.

azhari added that the long-serving employees in question also worked with security officers, who were supposed to conduct security checks on baggage handlers before and after their shifts, in committing the thefts.

On the same day, Soekarno-Hatta airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II), the Soekarno-Hatta airport regulator from the Transportation Ministry, the Soekarno-Hatta Police, Lion Air management and Garuda Indonesia management held a press conference regarding the thefts.

At the meeting, AP II president director Budi Karya Sumadi said that following the incident, the airport operator and the regulator would revise existing standard operating procedures at the airport, as well as installing more internationally standardized security devices.

Previously, AP II secretary Agus Haryadi said the airport management was considering using a system requiring only conveyor belts to transport luggage to anticipate thefts from baggage handlers.

Agus also said that AP II would add 325 new CCTV units at the airport, particularly in baggage-handling areas. The airport currently has 1,100 CCTV units.

After Wednesday'€™s press conference, Lion Air operational director Daniel Putut disclosed the results of the company'€™s internal investigation, which also involved the police.

He said investigators found a small knife in a compartment of a Lion aircraft hull at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar, South Sulawesi. Daniel said investigators suspected that baggage handlers had used the knife for breaking into luggage.

Daniel also said that after the exposure of the thefts, 18 Lion Air baggage handlers at Soekarno-Hatta airport had been absent from work without reason.

He advised passengers to carry valuable belongings with them in the cabin.

'€œThrough banners are installed at the airport, we have strongly suggested to passengers many times to not put valuable belongings into their baggage,'€ Daniel said, adding that since the incident, his company had added more banners to warn passengers about keeping their valuable belongings safe.

Like Daniel, Budi said passengers should be aware of risks and should keep valuables items in their handbags or cabin luggage.

'€œWe would like to apologize to all passengers as we have yet to provide better convenience and security,'€ Budi said. (agn)