A 51-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment on 28 May for stealing from a fellow passenger during a night flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.
Zhang Kun pleaded guilty to one charge of theft after taking S$200, RM100 (~SGD$30), and a credit card from another passenger’s backpack on board Scoot flight TR465 on 16 March.
Mid-Flight Theft on Scoot Flight TR465
Zhang was seated three rows behind the victim on the night flight. The victim’s haversack, containing a sling bag and wallet, was stored in the overhead compartment above his seat.
Advertisements
During the flight, the victim and his companion left their seats to celebrate a friend’s birthday at the back of the plane. Zhang seized this opportunity and quickly accessed the overhead compartment.
He took the haversack to his own seat and removed the cash and credit card from the wallet. Zhang then returned the wallet to the haversack and placed it back in the overhead compartment.
The passenger seated next to Zhang witnessed the entire theft.
Passenger Alert Leads to Swift Arrest
After the flight landed at Changi Airport Terminal 1, the observant passenger approached the victim and asked him to check his backpack. The victim discovered his cash and credit card were missing.
The witness pointed the victim towards Zhang’s direction. The victim confronted Zhang and immediately blocked his credit card while his companion filed a police report at around midnight.
Zhang made several trips to the toilet between the confrontation and the police’s arrival. He was arrested later that morning but did not reveal what he had done with the stolen items. Police were unable to recover the victim’s valuables.
Investigations revealed Zhang had accomplices on the same flight. All were scheduled for a two-hour layover in Singapore before continuing to Hong Kong.
Zhang initially denied the theft and challenged prosecutors to provide proof of his actions. The maximum penalty for theft is three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Advertisements
Public Recognition for Vigilant Passenger
Mr K Visvanathan, the passenger who alerted the victim, received the police’s Public Spiritedness Award in March. He provided crucial information that led to Zhang’s arrest at Changi Airport Terminal 1.
“I would like to commend Mr Visvanathan for his public-spiritedness,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police M Malathi, Commander of Airport Police Division.
“Such vigilance goes a long way in the swift detection and substantiation of such crimes, which are often challenging to uncover due to their transient nature.”
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
Read Also:
- Four Hospitalized as Singapore Car Collides with Malaysia Bus during Failed Safety Procedures at Woodlands Checkpoint
- DPM Gan Kim Yong Launches $3 Budget Meal Vending Machine in Punggol
- 71-Year-Old Worker Injured with Eight Stitches after Food Delivery Rider’s Warning Bell Startles Him
- Trump “Loses” as US Judge Blocks Administration from Revoking Harvard Foreign Students’ Enrolment
- 43-Year-Old Actress Fiona Xie Reveals Health Scare Details Following Extensive Medical Examination
- 6 Deals for SG60 Because Everything Also SG60
