Chinese national arrested for allegedly stealing from passenger on flight to Singapore

SINGAPORE - A 51-year-old Chinese national was arrested for his alleged involvement in a case of theft on board an aircraft during a flight to Singapore on March 17.

According to preliminary investigations, a male passenger had witnessed the suspect taking a bag belonging to the victim from the overhead compartment while the latter was away from his seat.

The suspect then brought the bag back to his seat and started rummaging through it. The witness noticed the man allegedly hiding the victim’s belongings in his jacket before returning the bag to its original place.

The witness subsequently alerted the victim to the suspected theft.

Upon checking the contents of his bag, the victim discovered that a credit card, $200 and RM100 (S$29.90) were missing from his wallet.

The police were alerted to the incident at around 12.20am.

The victim disembarked from the flight and searched for the man based on the witness’ description while calling the police.

The victim eventually managed to locate the man within the transit area and officers from the Airport Police Division arrested him for suspected theft.

The man is expected to be charged on March 18 with theft, an offence that carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both.

In its statement on March 17, police said passengers can protect themselves against theft on flights by ensuring that all valuables and cash are not left unattended in the overhead compartment, and are instead kept on themselves.

Passengers should keep a lookout for individuals who are seen opening up overhead compartments to retrieve baggage, or rummaging through them during the flight.

In the case of any suspicious behaviour, passengers should alert the cabin crew.

“The police have zero tolerance against acts of theft on board an aircraft and will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders, who will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law,” the statement said.