2 Chinese nationals allegedly stole bank cards from passengers' bags on Singapore-bound flight; to be charged

Two male Chinese nationals, aged 54 and 59, will be charged in court on Wednesday (Oct 14) for their alleged involvement in two separate cases of theft onboard an aircraft.

Police said in a news release on Tuesday night that the duo were arrested during an operation at Changi Airport Terminal 4 that targeted theft cases onboard aircraft on Monday.

According to the police, the two men were arrested after they were found in possession of three bank cards that did not belong to them, with further investigations revealing that they had stolen the cards from two passengers' bags during a flight from Ho Chi Minh to Singapore.

Each of the two men are said to have taken the cards from a different passenger's bag stored in the overhead compartment.

They later disembarked the aircraft without the victims realising that their cards were missing.

If found guilty of the said offence, the duo could each be jailed for up to three years, fined or both.

The police warned would-be perpetrators that they have zero tolerance for such crime and will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders and bring them to justice.

They also reminded travellers to protect themselves from becoming victims of crime onboard an aircraft by keeping cash or valuables with them at all times instead of placing such items inside the overhead compartments.

"Be wary and keep a lookout for passengers who are seen opening overhead compartments and retrieving or rummaging through baggage during the flight. Alert the cabin crew immediately to such suspicious behaviour," the police added.

两名年龄分别为 54 岁和 59 岁的中国籍男子将​​于周三（10 月 14 日）在法庭上被控涉嫌参与两起不同的飞机盗窃案。

警方周二晚间发布新闻稿称，周一在樟宜机场 4 号航站楼开展的打击飞机上盗窃案件的行动中，逮捕了这两名嫌疑人。

据警方称，这两名男子因持有三张不属于他们的银行卡而被捕，进一步调查显示，他们在从胡志明市飞往新加坡的航班上从两名乘客的行李中偷走了这些卡。

据说这两名男子分别从存放在头顶行李舱中的不同乘客的包里拿走了卡片。

后来他们下了飞机，受害者们却没有意识到自己的银行卡不见了。

如果被判犯有上述罪行，两人均可被判处最高三年监禁、罚款或两者并罚。

警方警告潜在的犯罪分子，他们对这类犯罪行为零容忍，并将不遗余力地逮捕此类罪犯，并将其绳之以法。

他们还提醒旅客，为了避免在飞机上成为犯罪的受害者，应始终将现金或贵重物品随身携带，而不是将这些物品放在头顶行李舱内。

警方补充道：“请乘客提高警惕，留意飞行途中是否有乘客打开头顶行李舱，取出或翻找行李。如发现此类可疑行为，请立即通知机组人员。”