Crime syndicate targets Singapore flights: police

[Muthukali]

Singapore police warned on Tuesday that members of a Chinese crime syndicate were believed to be stealing money from the bags of passengers while they slept on flights to and from the country.

Eighteen reports about in-flight thefts have been filed so far this year, up from only one in 2011, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Sam Tee, head of the airport police division.

"Investigations revealed that some of the thieves are suspected to be syndicate members from China working in groups of three to four individuals per flight," Tee told AFP.

"They would strike during boarding operations, or in-flight when passengers are asleep or when using the toilets.

"Their goal is to steal cash which has been kept by passengers inside their travel or laptop bags stowed in the overhead compartments of the aircraft."

Tee said the thefts were confined to some carriers on regional flights.

Last week Chinese national Fu Xinping was jailed for four weeks for stealing $800 and HK$3,000 ($386) from a fellow Chinese national's bag on a Hong Kong-bound Singapore Airlines flight in April, local media reported.

Singapore Airlines declined to reveal the number of thefts on its flights recently but said cabin crew had been advised to remain vigilant.

 

[Baluku]

Where they get free tickets to travel on SIA?

SIA tickets so expensive. Sibeh tang pun. Must invest first.

Where got thieves so stupid one?

 

[hokkien]

Where they get free tickets to travel on SIA?

SIA tickets so expensive. Sibeh tang pun. Must invest first.

Where got thieves so stupid one?

I thought if one to book eary for the flight it would be cheaper? maybe those travel sia have more $$$ compare to those on budget airlines

 

[Shermie]

Thefts on aeroplanes: Chinese gang fingered
Airport Police advise travellers to keep valuables close on hand

Published on May 30, 2012
By Janice Heng

A syndicate from China could be the reason for a surge in onboard thefts this year.

So far, 18 cases have been reported, up from just one last year.

All took place on regional flights.

Working in groups of three or four, they steal cash from bags in the overhead bins while passengers are boarding or during the flight when passengers are asleep or in the toilet.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.

 

[Maxima]

Chinese racket suspected of theft in planes

by Sadat Osman
30 May 2012 3:51 PM | Updated 4:08 PM

<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin: 4px 0px; ">4 Chinese nationals were caught stealing on SIA flights this year; one was sentenced a one month’s jail. (Photo / Wikimedia)</cite>
A gang of thieves from China is suspected to be behind a rash of theft onboard regional flights.

Eighteen cases have been reported, up from just one last year, according to The Straits Times newspaper.

The thieves work in groups of three to four and will loot bags in the overhead compartment when passengers are boarding or using the toilets, the paper said.

According to the police, 15 people have been arrested this year. Among them, four are Chinese nationals caught on Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights.

One of them, Fu Xinping, 38, was jailed for a month last week for stealing US$800 (S$1,020) and HK$3,000 (S$490) from a passenger's bag during a Singapore-Hong Kong flight on 21 April.

Another man was arrested for allegedly taking a laptop bag from the overhead bin in a Vietnam-bound flight on the same day, the newspaper said.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Sam Tee, Commander of the Airport Police Division, said: “Airport Police have been working closely with airlines for greater vigilance and this has led to arrests being made.”

An SIA spokesman told The Straits Times that it will help customers who want to report cases of theft.

“Our crew are also trained to remain vigilant and to alert the authorities to any suspicious behaviour on board our flights,” he said.

In March, two men were detained in a flight to Jakarta for trying to steal cash worth US$5000 (S$6,400) from an American passenger’s laptop bag which was stored in the overhead bin.

The latest news has angered netizens on Facebook.

“Ban all PRCs from flights. If they want to travel, they can jolly well rent their own boat,” Haziq Evan Rose wrote.

“SIA can hire air marshalls whose job it will be to keep a look out for thieves,” another netizen, Charles Stewart Lee, suggested.

Travel agents and insurers have advised passengers to be vigilant.

Jane Chang, a spokesperson for Chan Brothers told the newspaper: “Keeping cash and valuables close at hand when travelling is a good practice not just on board the flight but also on tour in foreign lands.”

Pui Phusangmook, senior vice-president and general manager of general insurance at NTUC Income, said that in cases where valuables are stolen from an overhead compartment, passengers can file for a claim.

This because leaving valuables in the cabin’s overhead compartment is unlikely to be considered negligence, the paper said.