There are these thing in airports. They are called security cameras. You’ll notice them especially present in duty free shops. But apparently one Air India captain thought he could outsmart them.
Rohit Bhasin is not only a senior captain for Air India, but also a Regional Director. He was part of the flight crew on AI301, set to leave Sydney at 10:35 AM on June 22nd. Prior to flight, he was allegedly caught trying to steal a wallet from a duty free shop at Sydney Kingsford International Airport. The Australia Regional Manager was notified and place him under suspension with the following order, published by the Business Standard:
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 Commander.
Without prejudice to any disciplinary action to be initiated against you and pending enquiry, you are hereby placed under suspension with immediate effect.
An Air India spokesperson later added:
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. Air India lays the highest stress on proper conduct of its staff and has a zero tolerance policy towards acts of impropriety.
CONCLUSION
I know Air India is often late to pay its employees, but stealing a wallet? Do you really want a pilot who resorts to petty theft given the responsibility of piloting an aircraft with 256 passengers onboard? I don’t. Maybe there was a misunderstanding, but wallets don’t just end up in pockets or bags…
Would you feel safe on an aircraft operated by a shoplifter?
“There’s these thing in airports. They are called a security cameras.”
My god. Literally the first two sentences of the article. Are we just dispensing with *any* effort in proofreading before posting?
Why should I when I have you? 🙄
As for items just not mysteriously ending up in bags? Maybe not, except in Thailand …where there was a well documented scam involving duty free staff, who were actually putting items in shoppers bags…with extortion and blackmail to follow.
It is a mystery to me why anyone buys anything at BKK: the prices are retail +++ and add to that the prospect of being the victim of a scam.