A Chinese man, identified as Zhang Xiuqiang, 52, has been apprehended for allegedly stealing a total of $23,260 from three passengers during a low-cost Scoot flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore.
The Singapore court formally charged Zhang with three counts of theft on December 18, in accordance with regulations pertaining to crimes committed on aircraft operating in Singapore. Court records indicate that the thefts occurred on Singapore’s Scoot flight TR305 from Ho Chi Minh City to Changi Airport on December 16.
Zhang is accused of pilfering $37 and 510 million VND (equivalent to approximately $21,000) from the messenger bag of passenger Tan Chin Kwang. Subsequently, over the next three hours of the flight, Zhang allegedly continued his thieving spree by taking $1,700 from the envelope in passenger Park Sanggu’s bag and $450, along with 3 million VND (approximately $123), from the backpack of passenger Lim Janus.
The Singapore police are currently expanding their investigation into the matter. Zhang is scheduled to appear in court on December 22, and if found guilty, he could face a maximum penalty of three years in prison along with a fine.
This incident follows an October warning from Hong Kong police about a rise in thefts on airplanes, notably after dismantling a ring specializing in stealing passengers’ credit cards. Hong Kong authorities reported 13 cases of property theft on planes in the first nine months of the year, a significant increase from the two cases recorded in 2022.
In a separate case in September, Taiwanese police arrested a suspect accused of stealing money from passengers during a flight from Tokyo to Taipei.
In May 2019, a Chinese national was apprehended in Ho Chi Minh City for allegedly pilfering luggage from a fellow passenger during a Vietnam Airlines flight. The 39-year-old suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed, reportedly seized a bag containing VND14 million ($602) and a smartphone valued at over VND20 million ($860) from a Vietnamese passenger seated nearby on a flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on Monday night, as reported by police and media sources.
This incident follows a similar occurrence in January 2019, where another Chinese national was detained at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport for allegedly stealing $431 from a Vietnam Airlines passenger.
In response to these incidents, Vietnam Airlines has taken measures to enhance staff vigilance, according to a company representative. Additionally, the national airline has issued a cautionary advisory to its passengers, advising them against keeping money and other valuable assets in their cabin luggage.
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Source: Vietnam Insider