Plane passenger gets notifications someone using her missing debit card to shop at airport, calls cops
A plane passenger discovered that her wallet was missing after landing at Changi Airport.
While on a flight en route to Singapore on March 16, she had placed her wallet in her handbag and stowed it in the overhead compartment.
She received numerous notifications of unauthorised transactions on her banking app. Her debit card in the missing wallet was allegedly used at shops in the transit area of the airport.
She immediately called the police at 4.55am.
Through ground enquiries and with the aid of CCTV footage, the police established the identity of a 30-year-old Indonesian and arrested him within an hour of the report.
Investigations revealed that both the man and victim were known to each other and they had used the same overheard compartment to keep their belongings during the flight.
Commander of Airport Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police M Malathi said, "It was fortunate that the passenger had enabled notifications on her banking app, allowing her to quickly report the unauthorised transactions of her debit card.
"This enabled a swift response from us to arrest the man before he could depart from Singapore."
The man will be charged in court with theft onboard an aircraft and cheating on March 27.
The offence of theft carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine or both.
The offence of cheating carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years, a fine or both.
