Ahmedabad Airport Hit By Bollywood-Style Heist: Gold Worth Rs 2.58 Cr Goes Missing Mid-Transit

A 2.1 kilograms consignment of gold jewellery worth nearly Rs 2.5 crore was shipped via air cargo from Ahmedabad Airport to Bengaluru — but it vanished before reaching its destination. The investigation that followed uncovered a carefully orchestrated mid-transit robbery straight out of a Bollywood crime thriller. Eight people were arrested for their alleged involvement in a pre-planned racket to steal 2.1 kilograms of gold jewellery from the cargo of Akasa Air in Ahmedabad, news agency PTI reported citing a police official.The investigation into the case took place after seven parcels containing gold jewellery were dispatched from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat to Bengaluru through Sequel Logistics Company via Akasa Air on May

18 and one parcel containing 2.1 kilograms of gold went missing, Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone-4 Atul Kumar Bansal was quoted as saying by PTI.It has been learnt that the high-value gold jewellery consignment worth over Rs 2.58 crore was carefully orchestrated involving airline and airport staff.

How Was The Theft Executed

Roshan Patel, the alleged mastermind of the heist and a cleaning in-charge with Akasa Air, was assisted by Zaid Hasan Ansari, the airline’s security in-charge, to move the gold out of the airport’s high-security zone while evading CCTV cameras.Zaid Ansari, Roshan Patel and Junagadh resident Sultan Sama were the key conspirators behind the theft, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Bansal.Salemohammad, alias Salam Mohammad Amin Ansari, allegedly posed as a passenger on the same flight on which the consignment was carried, with his ticket being booked in advance by Jayanti Patel, the official said explaining how the heist took place. "Roshan Patel is in-charge of cleaning at Akasa Air, while Jayesh Parmar is employed in the role of cargo handler. When cargo was being loaded from Ahmedabad airport, Parmar allegedly created an obstruction while loading the cargo and shifted gold from the parcel to Salam Ansari's bag," the official said.According to police, Salim Ansari’s role was to transport the stolen gold out of Ahmedabad using the commercial flight route.After the theft, Sultan Sama and his associates allegedly melted the gold and sold it to different jewellers.(With agency inputs)