Ahmedabad plane crash: Mobile phones of ground staff seized, CCTV footage under scanner as '360-degree' probe unfolds
AHMEDABAD: In a major move in the ongoing probe into the deadly Air India AI-171 plane crash that took place on June 12, central security agencies questioned the ground handling staff at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and seized their mobile phones for forensic analysis.
A senior official confirmed to a news agency that all personnel involved in pre-flight inspection and ground operations have been interrogated, and their statements formally recorded.
The phones of the staff who handled the aircraft minutes before its tragic takeoff have been taken into custody to examine any suspicious activity or communication.
In progress, agencies have also secured the CCTV footage covering multiple angles of the airport premises, ensuring that no detail is overlooked.
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The Hindu
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- The Hindu
Man collects 70 tolas of gold jewellery, cash from plane crash site; hands them over to police
Rajesh Patel, who was among the first responders following the Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12, returned to the scene soon after carrying bodies and many injured to ambulances. He began rummaging through the smouldering wreckage. Mr. Patel, 57, said he collected nearly 70 tolas of gold ornaments, which would be priceless for the victims' kin, ₹50,000 and a few U.S. dollars from the scene of the deadly aviation tragedy and handed them over to the police. As he heard a deafening sound and saw a giant ball of fire rising into the sky, Mr. Patel, who lives just 300 metres from the scene of the accident, hopped into an ambulance of a private hospital run by his relative in the city's Shahibaug area. 'Upon learning that an aircraft had crashed into a hostel complex of BJ Medical College, I rushed to the area with the hope of saving as many people as I could. However, we could not get close to the spot for the first 15 to 20 minutes. We started the rescue work after the fire was brought under control,' said Mr. Patel, who is in the construction business. Since Mr. Patel and the other volunteers did not have any stretchers, they used old sarees, bedsheets, and gunny sacks to carry bodies as well as injured persons to the ambulances, he said. After finishing the rescue work, Patel turned to salvaging luggage and other belongings of those on board the ill-fated Air India plane. 'From 10 to 15 handbags, which were burnt and lying scattered, we recovered 70 tolas of gold jewellery, 8 to 10 silver articles, a few passports, a copy of Bhagavad Gita, ₹50,000 cash and 20 dollars. We handed them over to a police official supervising the rescue operation,' said Mr. Patel. Mr. Patel, who earlier worked as a photographer, had volunteered at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital after the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts. He lost two of his close friends in one of the explosions that took place inside the trauma centre of the hospital. According to inspector D.B. Basiya from the Meghaninagar police station, one of their teams has been tasked with preparing a detailed list of every valuable article as well as luggage recovered from the crash site. 'Once the list is compiled, we will coordinate with Air India and start the process to hand over the valuables and luggage to the kin of the passengers after verification. We don't have any specific number of articles or their value as of now,' said Mr. Basiya. Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi had announced on X on June 16 that every item found from the aircraft's wreckage would be returned. He had also shared a video showing the kin of a woman, who died in the crash, receiving gold ornaments recovered from her body from a police official. 'Air India Passengers: Each and Every Found Item Will Be Returned. After the Air India plane crash, the Ahmedabad City Police went above and beyond to ensure the deceased's family received their loved one's belongings,' Mr. Sanghavi had said in his post. 'Gold ornament weighing 4-5 tolas, worth around ₹4.5 lakh, recovered from Veenaben Agheda's body was meticulously tracked down and returned to her family. The family praised the police for their honest work, expressing gratitude for their dedication to service,' the Minister had added. A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner of Air India with 242 persons on board crashed into the B.J. Medical College complex in Ahmedabad moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm on June 12. While 241 persons on board the London-bound aircraft died, one passenger miraculously survived. The crash also killed 29 persons on the ground, including five MBBS students.
NDTV
2 hours ago
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Gold, Cash, Gita: Builder Helps Families Get Back Crash Victims' Belongings
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Air India plane crash: 125 DNA matches confirmed, 83 bodies handed over to families, says Gujarat Minister
Gandhinagar : Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Monday confirmed that DNA samples of 125 victims in the Air India plane crash had been successfully matched, and families of 124 deceased had been contacted. The mortal remains of 83 victims were handed over to their families. The minister visited the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar, where DNA testing of the deceased was being conducted. The testing was being done by teams from the FSL and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). Sanghavi praised the ongoing efforts, stating, "...For the last many days, FSL and NFSU teams are tirelessly working round the clock. Till 10:58 pm, 131 patients' DNA have been matched, and in some time, 6 more DNA certificates will be sent to the Civil Hospital..." He added that senior officers of the police and FSL had been present till late at night every day to monitor the process. According to him, teams had worked through the night for the last three days to ensure that DNA samples could be matched and remains handed over to grieving families as quickly as possible. The Gujarat government coordinated closely with the Civil Hospital to ensure smooth communication between officials and victims' families. Meanwhile, Efforts to identify victims of the recent Air India plane crash are progressing, with DNA verification completed for 119 individuals so far, according to Dr Rakesh Joshi, Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital . Out of the remaining 43, the mortal remains of 14 deceased will be handed over by tomorrow morning. As time is running, people are also going through panic. We are receiving panic calls. As we are matching DNAs, results will keep coming," he added. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into a hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, killing 241 passengers and crew, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
