An upsetting account of a theft incident that happened on a flight earlier this month has been provided by a PIA passenger.
On August 5, while PIA Flight PK-210 was travelling from Sharjah Airport to Sialkot International Airport, the incident took place. A significant amount of gold, worth 93,000 dirhams (), had been safely stored inside the victim’s checked luggage.
The passenger was disappointed to learn that the gold, which had been packed in the checked baggage, had vanished when they arrived at their destination in Sialkot. The passenger claims that the theft took place while the luggage was being handled, possibly between the phases of baggage pickup and loading onto the aircraft.
The victim also informed the appropriate parties right away, including Sharjah Aviation, Sharjah Airport, and PIA. In an effort to launch a thorough internal investigation to find those at fault, he took the initiative to inform airport officials of the problem.
The victim has expressed frustration at the PIA authorities’ lack of response despite all the efforts. He revealed that he made numerous attempts to contact PIA via emails and reminders, but received no response, leaving him extremely dissatisfied with the airline’s handling of the situation.
The victim is seeking justice and has filed a formal complaint with the airline. She also wants to enlist the assistance of the Sialkot police, Customs, ASF, and Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a thorough and unbiased investigation.
In response, PIA
The spokesperson for PIA told ProPakistani in an exclusive interview that the case involves serious rule and regulation violations, which makes it challenging for the authorities to provide evidence to support their claims.
According to protocol, if the passenger was carrying that much gold, it should have been declared to the authorities and the airline, but it wasn’t. Money and jewellery should not be kept in the checked luggage, according to the rules.
Additionally, if the handbag had been checked in at the time of boarding, the crew would not have sent it to the hold if they had known it contained gold; instead, they would have asked to remove it and carry it themselves.
The gold was not declared to customs officials upon arrival, in violation of national regulations.
Strangely, the passenger simply lifted the luggage off the conveyer belt and carried it home without incident. Normally, people would check their belongings for valuables before doing so.
It is nearly impossible to prove that gold was in the luggage or that any theft occurred in airport areas because the passenger returned after four hours and claimed that their valuables were missing.
It should be emphasised once more that local handling agent staff, not PIA employees, handle baggage services, boarding, and disembarkation at both Sialkot and Sharjah.
On behalf of the passenger, PIA may file a complaint and request an investigation, but doing so necessitates accurate tracking and declarations.
Since there is no documentation of the items being transported, it is challenging to make a claim without any official paperwork.
