The Police have arrested a 51-year-old male Chinese national for his suspected involvement in a case of theft on board an aircraft.
On 17 March 2025 at about 12.20am, the Police was alerted to a case of alleged theft onboard an aircraft enroute to Singapore. Preliminary investigations revealed that while the victim was away from his seat, a male passenger saw the man purportedly take the victim’s bag, which was stored in the overhead compartment of the aircraft, back to his seat and started rummaging through it. The male passenger also noticed the man taking the bag and allegedly hiding the victim's belongings in his jacket before returning the bag to the compartment.
The witness subsequently alerted the victim to the suspected theft. Upon checking the contents of his bag, the victim discovered that a credit card, SGD200 and RM100 was 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. The victim eventually managed to locate the man within the transit area and officers from Airport Police Division arrested him for suspected theft.
The man will be charged in court on 18 March 2025 for the offence of theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code 1871, read with Section 3 of the Tokyo Convention Act 1971. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, or with a fine, or both.
The Police have zero tolerance against acts of theft on board an aircraft and will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders, who will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law.
The Police would also like to remind members of the public to protect themselves from being victims of crime on board an aircraft. Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Keep your cash or valuables with you at all times instead of placing them inside the overhead luggage compartments;
- Be wary and keep a lookout for passengers who are seen opening up overhead compartments and retrieving baggage and rummaging through them during the flight; and
- Alert the cabin crew immediately of such suspicious behaviour.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
17 March 2025 @ 7:42 PM