He stole more than €21,000 from passengers during a flight and ended up being detained on arrival

A man has been charged with theft after he stole more than €21,000 in cash from three other passengers during a flight from Vietnam to Singapore.

The man was identified in the court's indictment as Zhang Xiuqiang, a 52-year-old Chinese national who was on a flight operated by Scoot, the economy wing of Singapore Airlines. An airline spokesperson told CNN it was “aware of the incident” that occurred on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore on December 16.

“The cabin crew were alerted by a passenger about a suspected theft and activated the airport police department,” the spokesman said. “The airport authorities escorted the concerned passengers off the plane to conduct further investigations, and the remaining passengers continued to disembark normally.”

According to the prosecution, whose statements were read out in court and broadcast by Singapore's public television channel News Asia, Chang robbed three different passengers. He allegedly took VND3 million (€112) from a passenger's backpack and VND510 million (€19,190) and a S$50 (€34) bill from another passenger's black suitcase.

He also took 1,000 Vietnamese dongs and 930 Singapore dollars (about 641 euros) from an envelope found in a gray suitcase belonging to a third passenger.

Cabin theft is a crime in many countries and is more common than most travelers think. In October, Hong Kong police warned of an increase in thefts on planes arriving into the city, after a criminal organization was discovered stealing credit cards from passengers. In 2019, Cathay Pacific, from Hong Kong, announced a campaign against small thefts of equipment on board by its crew members.

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Meanwhile, in September, a man was arrested in Taiwan on charges of stealing money from another passenger's carry-on luggage on a flight from Tokyo to Taipei.

Zhang was detained for police investigation. If you are convicted of theft, you could be sentenced to three years in prison, a fine, or both.

Scott said she could not provide further details about the case, but warned the crew and passengers to be careful on board.

He said in the statement: “Our crew is trained to be vigilant and alert the authorities of any suspicious behavior on board our flights.” “We also advise our customers to always take care of their valuables.”