MUMBAI— An Air India (AI) cabin crew member has reported that US $2,120 went missing from her hand luggage after a New York-Mumbai rotation, prompting an investigation by Sahar police.
The alleged theft was discovered after she returned home from duty on September 21, while police are examining whether the money disappeared during the flight or after the aircraft arrived at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM).
Police registered a case against an unidentified person on September 30 following a complaint from 24-year-old S Sana.
She told investigators that she had kept the cash in her hand luggage, which was stored in a compartment designated for crew members, but noticed it was missing only after reaching her home in Mira Road.
AI Crew’s Cash Missing After Flight
Sana’s duty assignment involved Air India services between Mumbai and New York from September 14 to 21, alongside 14 other crew members.
The crew reached New York on September 17 and remained there for a three-day layover before beginning the return journey.
According to her complaint, Sana withdrew US $1,000 from an ATM in New York City on September 18 while sightseeing with five colleagues.
She withdrew another US $1,000 the following day, bringing the two withdrawals to US $2,000, while the reported missing amount was US $2,120.
The crew then travelled back to Mumbai on Air India flight AI 116 on September 20. Flight-tracking records show the service operated from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Mumbai, arriving on September 21, although the police investigation has not established where or when the money disappeared.
Police Questioned Colleague
After discovering the missing cash, Sana and her husband reviewed CCTV footage from the airport area but did not identify anything they considered suspicious.
She subsequently asked police to investigate a colleague whom she suspected could have taken the money.
Police summoned the colleague for questioning as part of the investigation. However, authorities had not made an arrest at the time of the latest report, and the case remains registered against an unidentified person.
The investigation will need to establish when the cash was last accounted for and who had access to the bag during the relevant period.
Police have not publicly established that the suspected colleague was responsible for the alleged theft.
Mumbai Airport Has Seen Theft Cases
The case has emerged alongside a wider investigation into baggage theft reports at Mumbai airport.
The Mumbai Crime Branch recently took over investigations into 27 theft cases registered by Sahar and Airport police stations between January 2025 and early September 2026.
Of those cases, 22 were registered at Sahar police station and five at Airport police station.
Police said the reported losses included Rs 43.2 lakh in cash as well as gold and diamond jewellery valued at Rs 67 lakh, with none of the stolen property recovered at the time of the report, TOI reported.
The Air India crew member’s complaint therefore adds another alleged baggage-theft case to an ongoing investigation involving airport-related thefts, although authorities have not indicated that the incidents are connected.
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