Rs 60.31 lakh in foreign currency stolen from air cargo en route from Kochi to Coimbatore; probe on

The police are coordinating with airport authorities as part of the investigation
Rs 60.31 lakh in foreign currency stolen from air cargo en route from Kochi to Coimbatore; probe on
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KOCHI: The police have registered a case and started a probe after Rs 60.31 lakh, sent by a Bengaluru-based finance company engaged in foreign exchange business via air cargo from Kochi, was found stolen at Chennai airport. The police are coordinating with airport authorities as part of the investigation.

The police said the foreign exchange firm with branches across India transported foreign currencies received at its branches in Ernakulam to its branch in Coimbatore via air cargo. The currencies worth Rs 63.73 lakh were kept inside a locked parcel box sent from Kochi airport on a flight to Coimbatore via Chennai on January 7.

“However, at the Chennai airport, the locks of the box were found broken and foreign currencies to the tune of Rs 60.31 lakh were missing. The foreign currencies include -- US dollars, Thai bahts, Singapore dollars, UAE dirhams, Indonesian rupiahs and Vietnamese dongs.

The complainant suspects that the currencies were stolen either while the box was loaded onto the flight at the Kochi airport or when it was moved out from the flight at the Chennai airport,” a police officer said.

The Nedumbassery police have registered a case under BNS section 303(2) for theft and 334(2) for dishonestly opening a closed container that has been entrusted to someone. According to the police, considering the risk of highway robbery while transporting currencies via road, the company moved money via air cargo.

“We are coordinating with the airport authorities in Kochi and Chennai as part of the investigation. The investigation is currently in the preliminary stage. We have to examine CCTV cameras and question people who handled the cargo in Kochi and Chennai. We will soon seek information from the flight company concerned. We will also coordinate with security agencies at airports as part of the investigation,” he said.

According to the police, though thefts of objects in check-in baggage and cargo were reported earlier, stealing money is an isolated incident. Last year, four cargo warehouse agents at the Delhi airport were arrested for stealing expensive mobile phones from cargo destined for the US.

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