A cabby drove off with a passenger's belongings and minutes later denied that these were in his vehicle. Adrian Concenciao, 38, was jailed for a month on Wednesday for misappropriating a camera bag belonging to Mr Rashim Mehta, 51, a businessman from India. The bag contained a passport, a camera and a mobile phone with a total value of $1,413.

A district court heard that Concenciao drove Mr Mehta and his family to Changi Airportat about 1.10am on April 2 to catch a flight to India. Mr Mehta left the camera bag on the backseat of the cab.

Shortly after the taxi drove off, he called ComfortDelGro to report the loss of his bag but when the taxi company called Concenciao, he lied that there was no such bag in his vehicle. The cabby later admitted to the police that he had misappropriated the items in a moment of greed.

While on bail, he was arrested on May 7 for theft. He had tried to leave Mustafa Centre after switching his slippers for a $24 pair of shoes, that were not paid for. Concenciao, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded guilty to misappropriation and theft. He was jailed two weeks for stealing the shoes. This sentence was ordered to run concurrently with his one month jail term.