Kochi: The police on Thursday arrested three employees of a Customs House agent for allegedly stealing expensive materials from consignments brought to the Cochin International Airport for export.
They were identified as Sajjad Syed Muhammed (21), Aashik (22), both natives of Kunnamkulam, and Sujil Sunder (24) of Alangad near Aluva.
“We received a complaint the other day about expensive clothes in a consignment from Tiruppur exported to Italy going missing. Airport cargo officers were then directed to inspect the CCTV cameras at the ground handling section. The trio was caught opening the baggage and hiding clothes. We then informed the matter to the Nedumbassery police,” said an airport spokesperson.
The staff is permitted to open up the consignment for detailed inspection under certain circumstances like suspicion of banned items.
“The trio used to take advantage of the procedure and steal. We suspect they had committed similar offences earlier too. They are being interrogated to ascertain whether anyone else is involved,” a police officer said. The three were produced before a local court which remanded them in judicial custody.
