After gold heist, hawk eye at airport entry points

Mumbai After Monday’s daring heist at the Mumbai airport the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) is now planning to install scanners at all entry/ exit points to check even those with valid entry permits entering the operational area.
The operational area is accessible, at any point of time, to about 20,000 to 30,000 people working with various agencies within the airport. The scanners, according to Senior Commandant, CISF, Sanjay Prakash, would be installed at all gates to avoid just superficial checks on those entering the operational area. The airport has eight gates or entry /exit points of which five are functional now.
On Monday, four armed men robbed 145 kg gold and silver coins at gunpoint from Air India’s cargo hold area.
As investigations into the audacious robbery suggest there could be some insider involvement, the sheer number of people from various agencies with permits to enter the operational as well as cargo area has been a unique problem for authorities at the airport.
Officials from MIAL say more stringent measures ought to be followed while issuing entry passes. Security officials at the airport, however, contend that many a time, it is just not possible.
“It is definitely a grey area and there is a sizeable number of people whose background checks are not done because of reasons beyond our control. The contractual labourers working on various projects inside the airport are prominent among them,” said Prakash.
“At the airport, there are multiple organisations functioning. However, as much as we want, uniform background checks for everybody cannot be possible,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Airport Division, Nissar Tamboli, told Newsline that both the airlines should take responsibility for the security of their cargo hold areas.
An Air India spokesperson said that they will have to look into the matter.
27/05/09 Shashank Shekhar/ExpressIndia

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Categories: Airports May 2009, Safety May 2009