Claim of purse snatching proves false

ISLAMABAD:

The claim of a female passenger that her handbag was snatched at the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) parking level proved false on review of closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage. The airport authorities filed an application against her in the jurisdiction police station however she submitted a written apology with the police to avert legal action. The passenger identified only by her first name, Salma, landed at IIA on the national carrier’s flight from United Arab Emirates (UAE). She claimed that a man snatched her handbag in the parking level and fled. The passenger said that she had Rs500,000 in the bags besides 800 UAE Dirhams equivalent to around Rs36,250, gold rings, and other valuables in her purse. As the information circulated, officials of the Airport Security Force (ASF) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) turned vigilant fearing departmental action for allowing street criminals to enter airport limits. The security officials examined the footages of the CCTV cameras installed at the parking level. However, no such incident was recorded at the time the woman claimed it to happen. After this, the ASF female personnel took Salma to a room, checked her luggage, and found out that all the items she claimed had been stolen were still with her.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2020.