Delhi Police have apprehended a 40-year-old man, identified as Rajesh Kapoor, for allegedly stealing jewellery and other valuables from co-passengers’ handbags during flights. Rajesh Kapoor, who took around 200 flights and traveled for over 110 days in the past year, was reportedly planning to sell the stolen items to an accomplice named Sharad Jain.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani revealed that Rajesh Kapoor was arrested from Paharganj, where he had allegedly kept the stolen jewellery. The arrest came after a dedicated team from the IGI Airport was formed following reports of thefts on flights over the past three months.
Investigations uncovered two separate cases of theft, one involving jewellery worth Rs 7 lakh lost during a flight from Hyderabad to Delhi on April 11, and another where jewellery valued at Rs 20 lakh went missing during a flight from Amritsar to Delhi on February 2.
CCTV footage from Delhi and Amritsar airports, along with flight manifests, helped identify Rajesh Kapoor as a suspect. Despite providing a fake phone number at the time of booking, Rajesh Kapoor’s original number was traced through technical surveillance.
Rajesh Kapoor confessed to his involvement in five theft cases, disclosing that he spent most of the stolen cash on online and offline gambling. His targets were often vulnerable passengers, particularly elderly women traveling internationally, whom he observed carrying valuables in their handbags.
Rajesh Kapoor strategically traveled on premium domestic flights, notably Air India and Vistara, bound for destinations like Delhi, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad. Exploiting the chaos of boarding, he would discreetly steal from overhead cabins while passengers settled into their seats.
To avoid detection, Rajesh Kapoor booked tickets under his deceased brother’s name, concealing his identity from airlines and law enforcement agencies.
Rajesh Kapoor faces charges of theft, gambling, and criminal breach of trust, with investigations ongoing to determine the extent of his criminal activities.
