A female passenger, identified by her initials JS (26), reported that her suitcase was broken into, with items worth around USD 2500 stolen. The culprits turned out to be rogue porters. The luggage theft happened on Sunday (May 26, 2024).
JS was traveling from Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Upon arriving at Soekarno-Hatta, she discovered several valuable items from her suitcase were missing.
The police investigated the case and found that the perpetrators were five porters working for an airline. These individuals have now been apprehended.
Suitcase Raided During Flight Delay
Local authorities revealed the strategy used by the thieves. They took advantage of a flight delay to carry out their crime.
The theft occurred during a two-hour delay in the flight’s departure schedule.
The police have received similar reports of thefts using the same method. Victims reported that their belongings were stolen during flight delays.
Stealing Diamonds and Dollars
According to the police, AS was the main perpetrator who broke into the victim’s suitcase in the aircraft’s cargo hold. He used a thin, broken piece of another suitcase to pry open JS’s suitcase.
Inside the suitcase, AS found a wallet and a jewelry box. He discovered five $100 USD bills and 100 Singapore dollars, which he pocketed. Additionally, the jewelry box contained three rings (two diamond rings and one white gold ring).
AS then handed the stolen rings to H (28). H also helped arrange the suitcases in the cargo hold and assisted AS in the theft.
Another suspect, A (24), was responsible for transferring the suitcase from the cart to the cargo hold. A temporarily stored the stolen rings at his place before selling them.
Meanwhile, D (34) assisted in transferring the luggage from the cart to the cargo hold. Finally, T (22) initially stored the stolen rings in his vest after taking them from JS’s suitcase.
Police Apprehend Suspects
The police swiftly moved to investigate the case. The five suspects, identified as AS (26), H (28), A (24), D (34), and T (22), were all porters working for the airline.
Thanks to the police’s collaboration, they uncovered the involvement of these rogue airline porters, each of whom had a specific role in the theft.