Watch: Airline Passenger Steals Thousands Of Dollars During Airport Security Screening

A passenger was caught stealing more than £7,200 ($9,113) in cash from an airport tray right under the noses of airport security personnel in Fiumicino Airport, Rome, on Saturday.

CCTV footage released by Italy’s border police, the Polizia di Stato, shows the man stealing money from another passenger's airport security tray.

It shows a passenger in a pink T-shirt placing two envelopes with cash in a tray and moving toward the metal detector. While the security officer examines him, the thief manages to quickly walk through a second scanner and reach the other side.

He then notices the envelopes with money and steals them before taking his belongings and moving away. The owner of the cash is then seen frantically searching all the empty trays for the missing money. Airport security staff also help him in the search.

Police said the money was meant to be used for medical care of a family member of the man. The thief “took advantage” of the “moment of distraction” to steal the money and then hid it in the bathroom to take it on his return journey, the police said in a statement.

Border police arrested the man before he could take a flight to Russia after identifying him through the CCTV footage.

“The money was recovered and returned to the passenger,” the border police said.

Airport Operators Association of United Kingdom said such incidents of theft are very rare in airports.

“Airports work closely with their security staff and local police forces to ensure that the nearly 300 million passengers that travel through UK airports every year do so in a safe and secure environment. Thanks to this secure environment, incidents at UK airports are extremely rare. Airports will continue to focus on providing passengers with peace of mind during their travels,” a spokesperson for the Airport Operators Association told the Independent.