Chinese man jailed for theft targeting business-class passengers after Singapore Airlines alert
Singapore Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Changi Airport in Singapore, Nov. 16, 2021. Photo by Reuters
A Chinese man who took a passenger’s luggage on a Singapore Airlines flight from Dubai to Singapore has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Liu Ming, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of theft on Tuesday, Channel News Asia reported.
The court heard that Liu was financed by a criminal syndicate and had boarded the flight to steal high-value items from business class passengers.
The victim, a 52-year-old Azerbaijani man, was seated five rows ahead of Liu, while the victim’s wife was seated one row in front of the offender.
Liu carried out the act in the early hours of Aug. 8 after dinner service had ended and cabin lights were dimmed.
With cabin crew stationed behind the galley curtains, he opened the overhead compartment above the victim’s seat, removed the carry-on bag and took it back to his own row, Malay Mail reported.
The victim’s wife noticed the movement and confronted Liu, asking whether the bag belonged to him before alerting cabin crew.
Liu then quietly returned the bag to the overhead compartment and went back to his seat.
When questioned by crew members, Liu claimed he had been “confused” about which bag was his.
A subsequent search confirmed that nothing had been taken, although the luggage contained valuables worth more than S$100,000 (US$77,850), including cash, cigars, a Huawei laptop, and luxury watches from Chopard and Audemars Piguet, the South China Morning Post reported.
Liu was arrested upon the aircraft’s arrival at Changi Airport.
Prosecutors said he remained uncooperative, continuing to insist he had mistakenly reached for the wrong bag, despite his own luggage which differed in both appearance and material being stored directly above his seat.
Under Singapore law, theft carries a maximum penalty of three years’ jail, a fine, or both.
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