Man allegedly steals credit card & cash from overhead cabin on flight to Singapore
A 51-year-old Chinese national will be charged in court after he allegedly stole a credit card and cash on a flight to Singapore.
The items were allegedly taken from another passenger’s bag that was in the overhead luggage compartment, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a news release sent to MS News on Monday (17 March).
Source: Albert on Canva. Photo for illustration purposes only.
Man on flight allegedly stole cash & credit card from bag while victim was away
The Chinese national was on board the flight to Singapore on Monday, SPF said.
While the victim was away from his seat, the suspect was purportedly seen taking his bag from the overhead cabin.
He then allegedly took the bag to his seat and rummaged through its contents.
The suspect was said to have subsequently hidden the victim’s belongings in his jacket and returned his bag to the overhead cabin.
Victim alerted, man arrested after police called
The witness, another male passenger, alerted the victim to what he saw.
When the victim checked his bag, he found a credit card, as well as cash amounting to S$200 and RM100 (S$30), missing from his wallet.
Upon touching down, the victim got off the plane and searched for the man, based on his description from the witness, while calling the police.
SPF was alerted to the incident at about 12.20am on Monday, it said.
The man was located in the transit area of Changi Airport and was arrested for suspected theft by officers from the Airport Police Division.
Man to be charged on 18 March
The Chinese national will be charged in court on Tuesday (18 March) with theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code 1871, read with Section 3 of the Tokyo Convention Act 1971.
If convicted of theft, he faces a jail sentence of up to three years, a fine, or both.
The police have “zero tolerance” against theft on board an aircraft, it said, adding it would “spare no effort” to apprehend offenders.
They will be dealt with “sternly in accordance with the law”, SPF also said.
Passengers advised to adopt crime prevention measures on flights
SPF also reminded passengers to protect themselves from becoming victims of crime by adopting crime prevention measures.
These include keeping cash or valuables on them at all times instead of storing them in overhead luggage compartments.
They should also keep a lookout for passengers who open the cabins during the flight to rifle through baggage.
If suspicious behaviour is seen, they should alert the cabin crew immediately, SPF added.
Also read: Man who allegedly stole S$1,200 on Scoot flight caught after female passenger calls him out
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Featured image adapted from Albert on Canva. Photo for illustration purposes only.
