A legal notice has been served demanding live CCTV broadcasting of the entire baggage-handling process at Bangladesh’s airports to prevent theft and looting of passengers’ luggage.

Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan Mamun served the legal notice on Monday in the public interest.

The notice was addressed to the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission, managing director and chief executive officer of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, and the directors and managers of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport, Sylhet Osmani International Airport, Cox’s Bazar Airport, Saidpur Airport, Rajshahi Airport, Jashore Airport and Barishal Airport.

The notice said airports serve as Bangladesh’s sovereign gateways to the international community. However, ordinary passengers travelling to and from the country, tourists, foreign diplomats and businesspeople, particularly Bangladeshi migrant workers who contribute to the country’s remittance earnings, have reportedly been falling victim to baggage theft for years.

It alleged that an organised group operates during the period when luggage is unloaded from the aircraft’s cargo hold and transferred to the conveyor belt. The group reportedly cuts open passengers’ locked luggage and steals valuable items, including mobile phones, laptops, jewellery and cash.

The notice said such repeated incidents cause passengers severe financial losses and mental distress while seriously damaging Bangladesh’s image internationally.

It further alleged that the incidents directly undermine the fundamental right to property guaranteed under Article 42 of the Constitution and the right to life and personal liberty under Article 32.