Man allegedly steals wallet on flight to S’pore & uses debit card at Changi Airport, will be charged

Man allegedly stole wallet from handbag placed in overhead cabin on flight to Singapore

In the latest case of alleged theft on board a plane, a 30-year-old male Indonesian national allegedly stole a wallet on a flight to Singapore.

He then allegedly used the victim’s debit card at Changi Airport, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a news release on Wednesday (26 March).

Source: Changi Airport on Facebook. Photo for illustration purposes only.

The man will be charged in court for theft and cheating.

Man on flight allegedly stole wallet from woman that he knew

The man was on board the flight to Singapore last Sunday (16 March), SPF said, without specifying which flight it was.

The victim had placed her wallet inside her handbag, which was stored in the same overhead compartment as the suspect’s belongings.

Source: Albert on Canva. Photo for illustration purposes only.

The suspect and victim knew each other, SPF added.

Man allegedly uses victim’s debit card at Changi Airport

Subsequently, the man allegedly used the victim’s debit card, which was inside her wallet, to buy items from the transit area of Changi Airport.

The woman received notifications on her banking app, informing her that unauthorised transactions had been made on her card at retail outlets.

Source: Changi Airport on Facebook. Photo for illustration purposes only.

She called the police, which was alerted at about 4.55am that morning.

Man arrested within one hour of report

Officers from the Airport Police Division established the identity of the man via ground inquiries and CCTV footage.

He was arrested within one hour.

He will be charged in court on Thursday (27 March) with theft and cheating.

If found guilty of theft, he may be sentenced to up to three years in prison, a fine, or both.

For the offence of cheating, he faces up to 10 years’ jail and a fine.

Fortunate that victim enabled banking app notifications: SPF

Airport Police Division commander M. Malathi said it was fortunate that the victim had enabled notifications on her banking app.

This allowed her to quickly report the unauthorised transactions, ensuring the police could mount a swift response to arrest the suspect before he could leave Singapore.

The police have “zero tolerance” for acts of theft on board aircraft, he added.

Aircraft passengers have been reminded by SPF to adopt crime prevention measures to protect themselves from becoming victims of crime.

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.

Also read: Man allegedly steals cash & credit card on flight to S’pore, will be charged in court

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Featured image adapted from Albert on Canva and Changi Airport on Facebook. Photos for illustration purposes only.