A temporary Air India luggage handler picked a Bangkok-bound passenger’s pocket at a check-in counter at the airport’s international terminal early on Monday, unaware that he was caught on camera.

Samir Kumar Biswas targeted Vikram Singh Rathore while he was waiting at the Thai Airways counter for his boarding pass a little after midnight, when there were few people around. He stole Rathore’s cellphone and wallet, containing $1000 and Rs 2,000 in cash, from the rear pocket of his trouser and quickly moved to another part of the terminal.But as in another recent incident, an overhead camera nailed Samir.

Rathore, from Rajasthan, realised his cellphone and wallet were missing as he was walking towards the immigration counter. He filed a complaint with the Central Industrial Security Force, which took only a few minutes to scan the CCTV footage and spot Samir in his white shirt and black pants.“He confessed to stealing the cellphone but denied that he took out Rathore’s wallet as well. It seems he handed the cash to someone else,” a police officer said.

Samir was remanded in police custody till August 6. Air India officials said his services would be terminated.

Rathore, who missed his flight, went to a friend’s house. “He has been booked on Tuesday’s flight,” an airport official said.

In May, CCTV footage helped the CISF catch a passenger who had stolen another person’s cellphone during security check. Ashok Agarwal, a Rajasthan-based garments trader, was arrested for taking away the cellphone that city-based businessman Mohammed Hussain had forgotten to pick up after it passed through the X-ray machine.