A flight attendant on an IndiGo flight has been accused of stealing a gold necklace from a five-year-old child during a journey from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru, reported The Times of India. The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) police have registered a case and begun an investigation based on a complaint filed by the child’s mother, Priyanka Mukherjee.
According to the report, Priyanka, who is married to an ISRO scientist, was flying with her two daughters on April 1. They were on a connecting journey from Thiruvananthapuram to Kolkata, with a stopover in Bengaluru. During the flight, her daughters—aged five and two—began to cry following a quarrel. A cabin crew member offered to take the older child on a short walk inside the plane to calm her down, while Priyanka attended to the younger sibling.
The child was returned to her seat as the aircraft began its descent into Bengaluru. It was only then that Priyanka noticed her daughter’s gold necklace, weighing approximately 20 grams, was missing. When she raised the issue with the cabin crew member, the staffer denied any involvement.
Despite reaching out to the airline, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and airport authorities, Priyanka reportedly said she received no clear response for several hours after landing. Airport officials informed her that since the incident took place during the flight, the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the airline and the police.
Attempts to register a complaint initially met with delays, said the report further. Priyanka claimed the police were unable to speak directly to the cabin crew member, as the airline said she was denying the allegation. Further, there was no CCTV footage available from the cabin to verify what had happened, and the airline declined to share crew photographs, which Priyanka said could have helped in identifying the staffer.
Adding weight to her claims, Priyanka pointed out that a video she had taken during the flight—while her daughter was eating cake—clearly showed the child wearing the necklace. Her husband later travelled to Bengaluru from Thiruvananthapuram to help escalate the matter. The family ended up staying overnight at the airport before continuing to Kolkata on a different flight, having missed their original connection. A senior police official told to the publication that an investigation is underway and assured that appropriate action will follow based on the findings.
