Man charged with stealing over $1,000 on Scoot flight from Jeju to Singapore

SINGAPORE – A man who allegedly stole a stack of US dollars on board a flight from Jeju Island in South Korea to Singapore was charged with theft on Feb 6.

Chinese national Zhang Youqi, 30, was accused of

stealing a stack of cash worth US$885 (S$1,195)

from a drawstring pouch placed inside a brown haversack during the flight.

According to court documents, Zhang allegedly did so on Feb 4 between 8.40am and 1.50pm while the flight from en route from Jeju to Changi Airport.

On Feb 5, the police said preliminary investigations revealed that a passenger saw Zhang allegedly touch her bag in the overhead compartment and confronted him.

Upon checking the contents of her bag, the passenger discovered that a stack of US dollars was missing and suspected that the man had stolen her money.

After the aircraft landed at Changi Airport, officers from the Airport Police Division investigated and, with help from the cabin crew, managed to locate the missing stack of cash in another overhead compartment near where the man was seated during the flight. 

If convicted, Zhang may be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.