Man who attempted luggage theft from business class passenger aboard SIA flight is part of criminal syndicate
A Chinese national has been sentenced to 20 months’ jail for attempting to steal high-value luggage from a business class passenger on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Dubai to Singapore.
The sentence was handed down on 23 Dec, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported.
Syndicate-funded plan to target business class passengers
The offender, 26-year-old Liu Ming, was found to have been financed by a criminal syndicate to board the flight and steal valuables from unsuspecting business class passengers.
The incident took place on the evening of 7 Aug during the flight from Dubai to Singapore.
The intended victim was a 52-year-old Azerbaijani man seated five rows in front of Liu in business class.
The man’s wife was seated separately, just one row ahead of Liu.
Source: Singapore Airlines
Attempted theft while passengers slept
Liu made his move in the early hours of 8 Aug after dinner service, when cabin lights were dimmed, and most passengers were asleep.
At the time, cabin crew were in the pantry with the curtains drawn.
While the victim was asleep, his wife had just woken up from a short nap.
Liu walked to the victim’s seat, opened the overhead compartment, and removed the victim’s bag before returning to his own seat.
However, the victim’s wife noticed the act and confronted Liu, asking whether the bag belonged to him. Unable to understand his reply, she immediately alerted the cabin crew.
Before crew members arrived, Liu returned the bag to the overhead compartment.
Luggage contained over S$100,000 worth of valuables
When questioned by the crew, Liu claimed he had made a mistake and was confused. A search of the victim’s bag later confirmed that nothing had been taken.
Despite this, cabin crew alerted ground staff at Changi Airport, and a police report was lodged. Liu was arrested upon arrival in Singapore.
According to CNA, the bag Liu attempted to steal contained items worth more than S$100,000.
These included cash in multiple currencies amounting to about S$12,000, a Huawei laptop worth around S$2,100, 56 cigars valued at over S$5,400, and two luxury watches.
One watch was valued at more than S$35,000, while the other was worth over S$51,000.
Source: NunDigital on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
During investigations, Liu was described as uncooperative.
He denied attempting theft and maintained that he had mistaken the bag for his own, claiming he was looking for toiletries.
This was despite the fact that his own bag, which looked different from the victim’s, was stored directly above his seat.
Court cites reputational harm to Singapore
The prosecution sought a jail term of between 20 and 24 months, arguing that thefts on SIA flights could harm Singapore’s reputation and tourism industry.
The court ultimately sentenced Liu to 20 months’ imprisonment.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Airlines and MustShareNews.
