Chinese national caught stealing from overhead luggage on flight to Singapore, hides cash in jacket
A man discovered his credit card and a few hundred dollars were missing from his wallet on a flight en route to Singapore.
The police said in a statement that they were alerted to the case of alleged theft on March 17 at 12.20am.
While the victim was away from his seat, a witness noticed another man taking the victim's bag out of the overhead compartment of the aircraft and heading back to his seat before rummaging through it.
The suspect allegedly hid the victim's belongings in his jacket before returning the bag to the compartment.
The witness quickly alerted the victim to what had happened, and upon checking the contents of his bag, the victim realised his credit card, $200 and RM100 in cash were missing from his wallet.
After the aircraft landed at Changi Airport, the victim disembarked from the flight and searched for the man based on the witness's description while calling the police.
Eventually, the victim managed to locate the man within the transit area. Officers from the Airport Police Division arrested him for suspected theft.
The 51-year-old male Chinese national will be charged in court on March 18 for theft.
The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, or with a fine, or both.
The police said they "have zero tolerance against acts of theft" and "will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders".
Members of the public are advised to keep cash or valuables with them at all times instead of placing them inside the overhead luggage compartments.
They are also reminded to keep a lookout on passengers who are seen retrieving baggage from overhead compartments and rummaging through them during the flight: "Alert the cabin crew immediately of such suspicious behaviour."
