Four PIA loaders arrested over theft of jewelry from passenger's luggage

KARACHI: Four members of the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) cargo handling staff have been arrested for allegedly stealing gold ornaments from a passenger’s luggage, reported ARY News.

The stolen jewelry has been recovered from their possession, according to a PIA spokesperson.

The arrested staffers, who have been working as loaders on a daily wage, had stolen jewelry from the luggage of the passenger who travelled to Toronto from Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore via the airline’s July 19 flight.

During interrogation, they confessed to having committed the crime. The spokesperson said the PIA administration has written to the employees’ contractor to have them sacked them their service.

Last year in Nov, the PIA had handed over five of its employees to police over their alleged involvement in stealing valuable items from a passenger’s luggage.

A woman passenger of PIA flight, PK-356, from Karachi to Peshawar had registered a complaint that her gold jewelry, cash and other valuable items were missing from her luggage. The national flag carrier’s security and vigilance teams took swift action over the complaint and after a comprehensive investigation found the five suspects guilty of stealing.