Silver bar worth ₹16 lakh stolen from Ahmedabad airport cargo terminal, airline employee booked

The Ahmedabad Airport police have registered a case after a silver bar weighing 10 kg valued at ₹16.58 lakh was reported stolen from the domestic cargo terminal of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on October 11. The theft allegedly took place between 5.30 am and 7.30 am during cargo loading operations.

As per the FIR lodged by John Joseph, a senior operations associate with Air India, the incident came to light after the airline’s Delhi office flagged a missing silver bar from a consignment sent on flight AI-818 bound for Delhi. The consignment, sent by Seqwal Logistics Limited, comprised 25 silver bars packed and handed over to Skyhigh Company, which manages cargo handling at the Ahmedabad Domestic Airport Integrated Cargo Terminal.

“When the cargo arrived in Delhi, officials found only 24 silver bars instead of 25. The Ahmedabad cargo team was immediately alerted to verify the consignment. Upon checking CCTV footage, it was found that during the loading process, only 24 bars were placed onto the flight trolley,” the FIR stated.

Subsequent inquiry revealed that the missing silver bar, weighing 10 kg and worth ₹16.58 lakh, was allegedly stolen from the buildup area of the terminal by Kaushik Nathalal Raval, an employee of AI Airport Services Limited, who was on duty at the time.

Complainant John Joseph stated that after internal checks the discrepancy was confirmed. Moreover, Air India officials, including Amardeepsinh Rana and Amit Shukla, accompanied him to the Airport Police Station to formally register the complaint against the accused employee.

Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the BNS related to theft and criminal breach of trust. Investigators said CCTV footage and staff records from the cargo terminal are being examined to verify the sequence of events.

“The accused was entrusted with handling the cargo trolley, and preliminary findings indicate that he removed one bar before loading. Further investigation is underway,” a police officer from the Airport station said.

The theft has raised questions about security and supervision at the domestic cargo section of the airport, particularly as it involves precious metals being transported through commercial flights.

Police are coordinating with airport security officials and Air India’s cargo management team to trace the missing silver bar and ascertain whether more individuals were involved in the theft.