Air India suspended its Regional Director for East for allegedly stealing a wallet from a duty-free shop at the Sydney airport, officials said on Sunday.
Rohit Bhasin, who was set to be one of the commanders of an Air India flight from Sydney to Delhi on Saturday, has been asked to surrender his identity card and barred from entering the premises of the airline without permission.
“There is an initial report of one of its captains Mr Rohit Bhasin, who is also working as a regional director, picking up a wallet from a duty-free shop in Sydney. Air India has instituted an enquiry into this incident and has placed the captain under suspension,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
The airline said it had taken swift and exemplary action against Bhasin, and added it placed high stress on the conduct of its staff and had a zero-tolerance policy towards such acts of impropriety. Bhasin would not be eligible for any wages, except for the subsistence allowance, till the enquiry is completed.
“It has been reported by regional manager Australasia that you allegedly committed an act of shoplifting from a duty-free shop at Sydney airport before the departure of flight AI301 of 22nd June, 2019, from Sydney airport for which you were rostered as one of the Commanders,” the suspension order issued by the airline on Saturday said.