Senior captain at India’s state airline suspended after shoplifting in Sydney airport

The duty-free shops at Sydney Airport happened to be too big a temptation for a top manager and captain with Air India, who was caught shoplifting there. Even more surprising was his choice of loot, which may now cost him his job.

Captain Rohit Bhasin, who is also Air India’s regional director, couldn’t resist picking a wallet in a shop at Sydney International Airport, local media reported, citing an airline statement. Bhasin, an officer rostered for the flag carrier’s flight from Sydney to India, was spotted by a fellow pilot, who reported the alleged wrongdoing to his superiors.

Bhasin has confirmed that he visited a bags and accessories shop at Sydney to buy a gift for his daughter-in-law, and reportedly explained his misbehavior by telling officials that he was “too overwhelmed” after learning he’d become a grandfather.

Air India immediately placed the man on suspension and launched an inquiry into the incident. The airline said it won’t pay any wages to him “except the subsistence allowance,” pending the conclusion of its investigation.

Adding insult to the injury, Bhasin was barred from entering Air India premises without permission from management and was asked to surrender his ID card.

The story seems to be something out of the ordinary as Air India pilots generally have quite a good reputation in the aviation world. Last year, for instance, one of their captains managed to safely land a heavy Boeing 777 – packed with around 370 passengers – in New York even after some crucial systems and instruments failed mid-flight.

There’s also Captain Anny Divya, who became famous after becoming the youngest female pilot on Air India’s 777.

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