Video footage has emerged showing a baggage handler sorting through personal items inside people’s luggage at Phuket airport.
The man, who works for Jetstar Asia, was supposed to be loading bags for a flight bound for Singapore, Seven News reports.
But instead, the 27-year-old unzipped suitcases and was pictured digging through, seeming to be searching for specific items.
A Phuket airport baggage handler has been caught red handed going through the insides of passengers’ bags
The video was captured as part of a special sting operation set up by security officers on Monday.
Positioned in a crouched position inside a cabin filled with bags, the man was pictured poking the full length of his arms inside unzipped suitcases.
At one point the man opened up a bag, folded through its contents and rearranged many personal items in the process.
The man was unaware he was being filmed and has since been charged.
He had reportedly stolen a bluetooth speaker from one of the bags, which he was made to return.
It’s unknown whether he knew he was being filmed, or if in fact he stole anything out of the luggage.
The worker momentarily glanced over his shoulder and into the lens of the camera, but continued rummaging through the passengers’ belongings.
The man was supposed to be unloading bags that had just arrived off a pane from Singapore
It’s unknown whether he knew he was being filmed, or if in fact he stole anything out of the luggage
The video, which was uploaded to social media on Friday, garnered a mixed response from hundreds of viewers.
Many commented how they weren’t surprised at the wrongful practice occurring, saying people should be prepared and secure their bags with padlocks.
Others thought the shifty behaviour indicated workers could just as easily put items inside bags, as take them out.
A Facebook user thought people should prepare for the worst and always padlock their bags
‘If you travel to Asia and don’t know that you should be padlocking or securing your bag properly, you shouldn’t be travelling there,’ one Facebook user wrote.
Another wasn’t convinced the man had stealthy intentions, writing: ‘Doesn’t prove anything. Is there footage of him walking off with anything?? Maybe the bag was partially open and he tried pushing things back in to close it??’.
One pointed out, ‘If he can take things out he can put things in.’
Multiple flyers commented their experiences of having belongings missing from their bags once reaching their destination.
The airline is an offshoot of parent Jetstar Airways, an Australian low cost airline based in Melbourne.
Another was skeptical that the man’s intentions were to steal from unsuspecting passengers
Many thought the shifty behaviour indicated workers could just as easily put items inside bags, as take them out