Mumbai airport police seek more CCTV after 26 baggage-loss FIRs

Twenty-six FIRs over valuables reported missing from checked baggage at Mumbai airport remain unsolved, with no property recovered, police said.

Sahar police registered 21 cases and airport police registered five between January 2025 and September 2026, police said. The complaints reported losses of Rs 38.5 lakh in cash and gold and diamond ornaments valued at Rs 67 lakh.

Police have sought CCTV coverage between baggage conveyor belts and aircraft loading points, saying these areas may not be fully covered by surveillance. A senior officer said police sent letters seeking action between December 2025 and February 2026 to the Airports Authority of India, the Adani Group, which operates Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), and other airport agencies.

Investigators said they cannot directly question airline employees. Police said they receive about 20 passenger complaints a month, though many do not result in FIRs because passengers working abroad cannot return to pursue them.

MIAL said it had not received the police letter and denied that the airport had surveillance blind spots. The operator said all airport areas are monitored round the clock and that baggage theft falls under airlines’ responsibility.