MUMBAI: Sahar police registered two FIRs against unidentified persons on Aug 31 after two Indian students pursuing MBBS in Russia reported US dollars equivalent to Rs 6.5 lakh stolen from their bags.The two travelled to Russian cities on separate flights from Mumbai on Aug 26 and 27. Police said these were the first theft cases involving international flights and have sought CCTV footage and details of airline ground staff at Mumbai airport.The families of the students said the cash, arranged through savings and loans, was meant for college fees and annual expenses.Priya Gavai (22) of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar reported $2,000, equivalent to around Rs 1.96 lakh, missing from her cabin bag after reaching Cairo on an EgyptAir flight to Moscow. Her mother, Seema Ingle (46), a schoolteacher, said airline staff had asked Gavai to place her purse in the cabin bag. She later handed it to a crew member because cabin storage space was unavailable. At Cairo airport, she found the lock broken and the currency missing.Ingle alleged airline staff were involved and said the airline had declined responsibility or reimbursement. She had saved money from her salary and borrowed Rs 2 lakh from a friend for her daughter’s fourth-year MBBS fees and expenses.In the second case, Sanika Rampurkar (19) of Ratnagiri reported $4,625, equivalent to around Rs 4.5 lakh, stolen while travelling to Adler on an Etihad Airways flight. Her flight, scheduled to travel via Abu Dhabi, was diverted to Istanbul.She reached Adler on Aug 27 but received her cabin and luggage bags on Aug 28. She found 46 $100 notes, one $20 note and one $5 note missing. Her father, Sachin Rampurkar (49), also a schoolteacher, said the money had been arranged through loans and savings for her medical college fees and annual expenses in Russia.A senior police officer said baggage theft investigations face logistical blind spots, including cargo loading and transit areas without direct camera surveillance. Reliance on outsourced loaders and third-party ground staff also makes identifying suspects difficult. Police suspect baggage scanning or handling staff may alert thieves about bags containing cash or gold.A Sahar police officer said they have sought details of the CCTV footage from both airlines at Mumbai airport when the passengers’ bags were scanned before loading into flight cargo sections. “Details of the ground staffs are sought to question to find involvement of them in the thefts,” the officer told TOI.
