Hyderabad: A passenger at Hyderabad Airport was arrested for allegedly stealing from another traveller’s bag in the departure area near the washroom.

The accused have been identified as Tarun Bali. He was scheduled to board an Indigo flight to Kolkata but was detained following a complaint by Gajjala Yogananda, a fellow passenger travelling to Delhi.

According to TOI reports, the incident occurred on January 6, when Yoganand discovered his hand baggage missing near Boarding Gate 17. He then alerted Hyderabad Airport police, leading to an investigation.

CCTV footage revealed the accused taking the bag and heading to the smoking zone near Boarding Gate 11.

The accused reportedly removed Rs 50,000 in cash and an iPhone from the bag discarding the phone in a dustbin near Gate 11 and abandoning the bag in a washroom at Gate 12. Hyderabad Airport police recovered the stolen items which were returned to Yoganand.

He subsequently filed a formal complaint with the RGIA police and reported the incident via the 100 helpline. For security reasons, Indigo offloaded the accused handing him over to the Hyderabad Airport police for further investigation.

A case was registered under section 303(2) Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Further investigation is ongoing.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against three accused including two Inspectors of Customs and Central Excise, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) Hyderabad and an Officer of Canara Bank, Customs Duty Collection Counter and unknown others on allegations relating to bribery.

It was alleged that the Customs officials working at the Counters of the Customs Department, Hyderabad Airport, demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 50,000 on 5 October 2024, for customs clearance of the complainant and his family who arrived at Hyderabad from Jeddah.

CBI also conducted searches at five places in Hyderabad, Muzaffarpur (Bihar), and Mansa (Punjab), which recovered Rs 4.76 lakh in cash and incriminating documents.