$100k violin stolen by airport worker?

28 June 2013, 12:22 | Updated: 30 September 2014, 14:28

A man working at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has been arrested for stealing the 1873 violin.

A Chicago man has been arrested for stealing a Remenyi Mihaly violin worth an estimated $100,000 from a female passenger, according to police reports. Surveillance footage captured in the airport shows Volodymyr Babiy, 52, committing the theft but the 56 year-old woman who owns the violin could not be reached.
 
Judge Israel Desierto set bail at $10,000 and he is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 2nd.
 
Officers managed to get consent by Babiy to search his home and the missing violin was found soon after. Babiy, originally from Ukraine, worked with a company contracted to work at O'Hare Airport and he subsequently admitted to the theft following the incident.

The news comes after airports and airline staff have come under scrutiny from the musical community, due to controversial baggage regulations that have resulted in damaged instruments.