CCTV cameras have helped curb cargo thefts at airport,says CISF

The CISF,given charge of the securing the cargo terminal in 2011,says the last theft took place in April. According to Mumbai Police,no more than 10 thefts have been reported in the past year,most of them inside jobs.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) installed cameras after a series of high profile thefts between 2007 and 2009. In May 2009,an airport security personnel was killed while attempting to stop four armed men stealing gold and silver coins bound for Pidilite Industries in Hyderabad.

The CISF has access control to the terminal and also guards the perimeter. Officers say the CCTV cameras help keep an eye on airport staff as it is scanners,loaders and forklift operators who are most commonly involved in cases of cargo theft and are part of active gangs at the terminal.

“Scanners are adept at identifying what an incoming consignment contains and tip-off their accomplices. While we cannot say how many gangs are currently active inside the terminal,the cameras have kept them quiet for a while now,” the officer said.

In April,the CISF chanced upon a gang of three men while probing the theft of medicine for export. “The medicine,a very fine powder packed in large plastic boxes,was bound for Indonesia and Australia. Upon reaching its destination,the buyers found the boxes nearly empty. While keeping a watch for suspects,we saw an abandoned bag near the exit of the cargo terminal. We waited for someone to approach and nabbed him. It turned out to be a sweeper who stole computer parts by concealing them in a pile of garbage,” said an officer.

The sweeper,Dinesh Imne,was held with three Dell motherboards and an LED screen,valued collectively at Rs 20,000. During interrogation,he revealed he had been working with two loaders.

The CISF has also sends men undercover. “We have had success with undercover operations. During each shift,a few of our men work at the cargo terminal. They wear the same uniforms as other employees. We attempt to apprehend the accused on the airside to avoid a tussle of jurisdiction with local police,” the officer said.

With over 1,000 employees working inside the cargo terminals during each shift,police say it is important to keep a watch on them at all times. “No employee is hired before a thorough police verification,” said Madhukar Sankhe,assistant commissioner of police,airport division.

While the terminal is not a specific terror target,security personnel remain on high alert. “Along the perimeter,we keep a watch for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that can be placed in abandoned baggage. The X-ray devices show any arms or ammunition that may be concealed in the consignments,” said CISF commandant Sunil Kumar Sinha.

While Sinha acknowledged that the CCTV cameras had proven useful,he maintains that the cargo terminal is still a “grey area.”

srinath.rao@expressindia.com