Picture credits: IndiGo
Bengaluru, INDIA: An IndiGo Airlines flight attendant has been accused of stealing a gold necklace from a five year-old girl during flight 6E661 from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru on April 1. The incident reportedly occurred when the crew member took the child for a brief walk inside the aircraft to calm her down during an in-flight disturbance.
The child’s mother, Priyanka Mukherjee, who was traveling with her two daughters aged five and two, filed a police complaint after discovering the necklace missing upon the child’s return.
Priyanka, who is married to an ISRO scientist, was en route from Thiruvananthapuram to Kolkata with a stopover in Bengaluru. During the flight, her daughters started quarreling and crying, prompting the IndiGo crew member to offer assistance. The flight attendant suggested taking the elder daughter for a short walk while Priyanka attended to her younger child.
As the plane began its descent, the flight attendant returned the child to her seat, at which point Priyanka noticed her daughter’s 20 grams gold necklace valued at approximately ₹2.5 lakh (according to The Times of India) was missing. When confronted, the crew member reportedly denied any involvement.
Delayed Response and Ongoing Investigation
After the flight landed in Bengaluru, Priyanka immediately alerted airport authorities, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), IndiGo Airlines, and local police. However, she claimed that for several hours, none of the authorities gave her a proper response. She told The Times of India, “From the time we landed in Bengaluru till the afternoon, I didn’t get a proper response from anyone.” Airport officials allegedly told her that the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the airline and the police since the alleged theft occurred mid-air.
The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) police have registered a case and launched an investigation. However, the lack of in-flight surveillance footage has proven to be a major hurdle. When authorities attempted to question the flight attendant, airline representatives stated that the crew member denied the allegation and maintained that no CCTV evidence existed to confirm or deny the incident.
Picture credits: IndiGo
IndiGo’s Official Response
IndiGo Airlines issued a formal statement acknowledging the incident:
“We are aware of a recent incident involving a staff member on flight 6E 661 from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru, regarding a concern raised by our customer. We take such matters extremely seriously and are providing full support and cooperation to the relevant authorities in carrying out the investigations.”
The airline, India’s largest by market share (59.2% as of 2023), did not confirm whether the accused crew member remains on active duty during the investigation.
Similar In-Flight Theft Incidents
This case echoes previous theft allegations involving airline crew. In 2018, a 37-year-old Egyptian flight attendant working for Emirates Airlines was accused of stealing nearly $7,656 from business class passengers on a flight from Thailand to Dubai. The theft occurred while three brothers momentarily left their seats to assist their father. Upon returning, they found a combined total of 3,700 Emirati dirhams ($1,531) and 14,800 dirhams ($6,125) missing from their wallets.
The cabin supervisor documented the remaining bills with sequential serial numbers, which helped link fingerprints on a victim’s wallet to a crew member. The accused later appeared in a Dubai court and pleaded not guilty.
In another 2023 incident, a New Zealand couple lost approximately $4,168 while flying Emirates First Class from Paris to Dubai. They left their carry-on bag containing euros unattended for 45 minutes while visiting the plane’s bar. Despite passport checks and aircraft searches upon landing in Dubai, the cash was never recovered.
Security Gaps and Passenger Safety Concerns
These incidents have raised broader concerns about the lack of onboard surveillance and the vulnerability of passengers’ valuables especially in situations where crew members are entrusted with children or allowed access to unattended personal belongings. As the investigation into the IndiGo incident continues, the absence of in-flight cameras and clear accountability procedures may pose challenges in reaching a definitive conclusion.
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