British Airways Crew Faces Allegations of Fabricating Robbery Story to Conceal Night of Revelry

The police in Brazil said one of the crimes the crew members talked about did happen, but the three went to an abandoned police station to take drugs.

Three crew members of British Airways have been accused of lying to police about a robbery to cover up their night of excessive drinking in Rio De Janeiro. Independent said in a report that the claim of staffers caused flight BA248 to be abruptly postponed for 24 hours on September 5. It was scheduled to fly from Rio De Janeiro to London’s Heathrow airport but the three workers reported being “too traumatised to work” after becoming the victims of a robbery. They also claimed their phones had been snatched.

The police have now said that the three crew members “invented” the armed robbery to avoid being punished by bosses. The cops said they found inconsistencies in their stories.

Brazilian police have revealed that, following an extensive investigation, three flight attendants from a British airline lied about being robbed in September. The Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro reported that, after analyzing data, conducting field investigations, and reviewing images, it was found that the trio fabricated the incident. While one of the crimes they reported did occur, the police discovered that the three crew members had actually gone to an abandoned police station to consume drugs after a night of alcohol and substance use near a Rio community.

The crew members now face investigation for providing false information about a crime. The New York Post has additionally reported that the crew is accused of using Class A drugs during their night of revelry.

Patricia Alemany, Head of the Special Tourism Support Police, expressed surprise at the crew’s behavior, questioning how individuals in such a responsible role could spend an entire night consuming substances, knowing they would be responsible for the well-being of passengers the next day. CCTV footage reviewed by the police places them near the fuel station at 4:50 am local time.

British Airways, meanwhile, said that this “is a matter for the police” and that the flight attendants involved “were not scheduled” for the flight. The airline did not explain why BA248 was postponed.