3 lose more than $43,700 on SilkAir plane
By David Sun and Rennie Whang, The New Paper | Thu, May 2 2013
Some fly for business. Others for pleasure.
Then there are those who fly so they can steal.
On April 19, three men lost more than US$3,000 (S$3,700) collectively in just two hours, on a flight from Singapore to Cambodia.
Mr Steven Ng, 46, a creative consultant, was one of the victims.
The Singaporean had taken SilkAir flight MI 602 to Phnom Penh.
He said that when the plane landed, an announcement was made by a crew member that a theft had occurred in the aircraft, and that the passengers should check their belongings.
Mr Ng said: "I never expected it to be me. But when I went through my belongings, I found that my money pouch was empty."
About US$700 was missing. He notified the crew.
"Another Singaporean behind me also found his cash missing, and we were both led to the front of the plane," said Mr Ng.
"Two suspects who were Chinese nationals were then pointed out by eyewitnesses."
Three witnesses, three victims and the two suspects were then led by Cambodian police to a station.
He said the suspects were searched but nothing was found on them.
Mr Ng said: "I believe their accomplice had already left the plane before that, as there were two people who had disembarked before the theft was discovered."
A 47-year-old Chinese national, Xu Chang Kai, was later arrested and charged with the theft on Monday. The New Paper understands that the man had taken a flight back to Singapore on the same day, and was arrested upon arrival.
Mr Ng had to cut short his trip and flew back on Tiger Airways.
When contacted, a SilkAir spokesman confirmed the incident. He said SilkAir takes a serious view of thefts.
The spokesman said: "In the event that any suspected thefts take place on board our flights, we are always ready, upon request, to assist any customer who wishes to file a report with the authorities.
"We would like to remind our customers to always safeguard their valuables. Our crew are advised to remain vigilant and to alert authorities of any suspicious behaviour on board our flights."
This is the third reported theft on SilkAir flights this year.
The Singapore Police Force said 43 cases of inflight theft occurred last year, and six by March this year, with eight Chinese nationals arrested.
In contrast, there was only one case in 2011, which occurred in December.
The Singapore police told TNP in February that Singapore-bound flights from Hong Kong, Jakarta, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Bangkok were targeted.
Not just a local trend
It's not just a local trend. Hong Kong police told TNP last month that 71 cases of overhead compartment theft were reported last year, up from 21 in 2011.
Vietnam newspaper Thanh Nien Daily also reported in November last year that airport police in Hanoi arrested two Chinese nationals for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from a Japanese passenger's luggage during a flight from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong police said they had been closely monitoring such thefts, and maintain regular liaison with law enforcement agencies in mainland China, Macau and other jurisdictions to fight such crossboundary crimes.
The Singapore police said that all the culprits in the cases which were reported here were males in their 30s and 50s.
In most cases, the culprits would remove the victim's unguarded hand-carry bag from the overhead compartment and steal valuable items. This would be when the victims were asleep or in the toilet.
At times, the culprits worked in pairs or groups to pass the stolen cash to their accomplices, so the stolen items would not be traced to them when confronted.
Police advise that passengers exercise caution and keep their valuables with them instead of placing them unattended in the overhead luggage compartments.
Travellers should also keep an eye out for passengers who are seen opening overhead compartments and retrieving baggage and rummaging through them as the thieves would typically be looking for valuable items.
