Airport authorities are investigating a bizarre incident involving an Office Transportation Security (OTS) screening officer who was caught on CCTV allegedly stealing money from a passenger’s wallet and attempting to swallow the bills to hide the evidence at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
On September 8, at 8:18 p.m., a Chinese passenger identified as Mr. Cai placed his shoulder bag on a tray for inspection at one of the final departure checkpoints. Following an Advanced Imaging Technology Machine (AITM) screening, a female Screening Security Officer (SSO) manually inspected the bag. It was during this inspection that she allegedly removed $300 from Mr. Cai’s wallet.
The suspect’s suspicious behavior was captured on CCTV, with footage showing her holding something in her tightly closed fist and later placing the object in her waist area before returning to the inspection table.
Mr. Cai promptly noticed the missing money and raised the issue with airport personnel, including the SSO in question, her supervisor, and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Airport Police Department.
An official report based on the CCTV footage suggested that both the SSO’s supervisor and the x-ray operator at the checkpoint may have been in connivance with her. The SSO was seen receiving a bottle of water from the x-ray operator before trying to swallow the folded bills, a scene captured clearly by another CCTV camera she was unaware of.
The SSO struggled to swallow the money, with the footage showing her almost choking despite drinking water. The report accused the supervisor of helping the SSO by seemingly ensuring the bills were swallowed to destroy any evidence of the theft.
Despite the compelling evidence presented in the report, the case faces a significant hurdle: Mr. Cai, the victim, has expressed an unwillingness to pursue a criminal complaint against the accused individuals, making it unclear how the case will proceed. Airport authorities are in a difficult position as Mr. Cai did not maintain contact regarding his complaint.
