Airport heist an inside job: Police

Mumbai: The airport police suspect the Rs30-lakh heist at the Air India (AI) cargo complex on Monday to be an insider's job. They are making sketches of the four men who looted four boxes of gold and silver from the complex on Monday.
Four masked men entered the AI cargo building on Monday and stole four bags with gold and silver coins belonging to Pidilite Industries at gunpoint. Two other bags had been screened when the robbers struck. The consignment was to be sent to Hyderabad.
"Someone knew that the consignment would be brought to the complex at 11.30am. The person informed the robbers," Somnath Ghuge, senior inspector of the airport police station said. While escaping, the robbers rammed their vehicle into a security guard SB Bhosale, who later died of injuries. "Based on the descriptions given by eye-witnesses, we are making sketches of the accused," Ghuge said.
Ghuge said security lapse had resulted in the robbery. "The easy manner in which the robbers reached the AI cargo complex by entering through the gate that leads to the Jet Airways cargo building clearly points to security lapses," he said. The cargo buildings of the AI and Jet Airways are situated in the same compound. There are two entrances to the compound. One leads to the Jet Airways cargo building and the other to the AI cargo complex.
The airport police held a meeting with AI and Jet Airways officials on Tuesday to review the security measures at the compound, Ghuge said.
"The gate that leads to the AI cargo building at least has a system in place to screen vehicles entering the compound. But there is no security at the other gate," he said. He said the two airlines have been told to ramp up security and install CCTVs at the gates.
"The coins were to be given to our distributors for their sales performance," an official from Pidilite Industries said not wanting to be named.
27/05/09 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Airports May 2009, Cargo May 2009, Safety May 2009