Authorities in Athens this week reported two arrests for an offense thought to be a thing of the past, namely, for stealing other travelers’ luggage off conveyor belts within an airport’s premises.
According to reports, two local women, 36 and 38, systematically stole luggage over the past two months at the Athens International Airport after landing there on domestic flights.
The fact that the specific airport, Greece’s largest and busiest, is heavily patrolled by law enforcement, has limited access areas and high-end security cameras monitoring and recording practically every meter of space inside and outside the terminals apparently didn’t deter the pair.
A total of eight pieces of luggage were stolen by the two suspects, beginning in November 2024.
A search of a residence in the east Athens district of Vyronas later turned up numerous articles of clothing and footwear of various sizes, handbags, wallets, prescription eyeglasses, other people’s travel documents and various currencies, ranging from South Africa and Angola to Russian rubles and Sweden krona.
The two suspects were led before a relevant prosecutor on theft and illegal drug possession charges.