Baggage handlers at Noi Bai airport investigated for stealing

By Pham Du September 12, 2023 | 03:29 am PT

Four of the five baggage handlers caught stealing from a passenger's suitcase at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi are held at a police station. Photo courtesy of the police

Five baggage handlers at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport have confessed to breaking the lock of a passenger's checked suitcase to steal a headset and 500 euros (US$535).

The group also admitted to police that they had successfully carried out many previous thefts in the same manner.

Nguyen Van Thinh, 29, Pham Van Truong, 33, Nguyen Minh Thao, 29, Tran Van Thanh, 31, and Pham Van Tuan, 27, are being investigated for stealing property, police said.

On August 22, they worked on the same shift with the task of loading and unloading checked baggage of air passengers on the first floor of the domestic departure terminal.

They colluded that if seeing any luggage that was easy to unlock, they would steal property. The same day, Thinh discovered a female passenger's suitcase which they deemed easy to unlock.

He then broke the lock of the suitcase and stole an AirPod Pro headset and 500 euros in cash. While Thinh committed the deed, the rest stood outside on guard.

Thinh kept the headphones, and the men exchanged the money to Vietnamese dong, which was equally divided among the group.

After landing at Cam Ranh Airport, the passenger discovered her property had been stolen and reported the incident to the police.