In a peculiar incident at Dubai International Airport, Dubai Customs has seized an Arab passenger who tried to steal a number of bags placed on baggage belts at DIA Terminal 3. It seems, the culprit was used to steal other passengers’ bags at other airports in the region.
Unveiling the details of the incident, Mr Ali Al Maghawi, Director of Airport Operations Department at Dubai Customs, said that the passenger arrived at DIA Terminal 3 on board an Emirates Airlines flight from an Arab country and headed to the baggage belt area. Dubai Customs inspectors, who are tasked to monitor passengers’ movement and facilitate their procedures, became suspicious of this particular passenger as they noticed he was moving from one belt to the other and picking bags randomly from baggage belts. So, they started to closely monitor his movements and immediately formed a field work team to keep him under surveillance as he was moving between belts conveying bags of various flights coming from European countries. He selected large and expensive-looking bags and removed the airline company sticker in an attempt to mislead customs officers. As he headed to the customs inspection area, the inspection team was waiting for him according to the joint coordination and sharing of information between inspection team, mobile officers and control room. An inspector asked him if these bags belong to him and he said yes. After the bags were scanned, he was asked to open the bags for manual inspection which he couldn’t do as he didn’t have the keys. This confirmed customs inspectors’ suspensions. However, the passenger insisted that these bags were his and that he misplaced the keys. So, the officers contacted Emirates Airlines and inquired about what luggage the passenger had with him when he boarded the flight. They replied that he only had a hand bag. When asked if there were reports of any missing bags, the airline stated that there were 4 bags reported missing by their owners.
Thus, a representative from the airline company and passengers who reported to have misplaced their bags were asked to come and identify their bags, which they did. The passenger was then confronted with this and he confessed that these bags are not his and that he stole them.
As per the cooperation and coordination between Dubai Customs and the Dubai Police General Headquarters, the passenger was transferred along with the seizure report, information revealed by the passenger and stolen bags to the Airports Security General Department to take action against him and open a report of the incident. On the other hand, Emirates Airlines was informed of the coordination procedures completed with the relevant security authorities and bags were handed to their rightful owners.
Al Maghawi emphasized the importance of training courses Dubai Customs inspectors undergo to develop their alertness and make them more focused, enabling them to detect all kinds of violations. In addition, the Department supports its inspection team and constantly seeks to provide them with a proper work environment that incites them to exert more effort, become more creative and excel in their work fields.