Jun 16, 2011
Ex-cabby jailed for taking backpack left at airport
By Khushwant Singh
A former taxi driver, who took a backpack left unattended outside Terminal 2 of Changi Airport, was jailed four months on Thursday. Jaffar Kassim, 38, will also serve a year behind bars for consuming Ice. He had pleaded guilty to misappropriating the green backpack and to possessing and consuming the drug. The 10-month jail term for drug possession was ordered to run together with the other jail terms. -- ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
A FORMER taxi driver, who took a backpack left unattended outside Terminal 2 of Changi Airport, was jailed four months on Thursday. Jaffar Kassim, 38, will also serve a year behind bars for consuming Ice.
He had pleaded guilty to misappropriating the green backpack and to possessing and consuming the drug. The 10-month jail term for drug possession was ordered to run together with the other jail terms.
A district court heard that researcher Kenji Ohwaki, 44, had arrived in a taxi at the airport at 10.25pm on Feb 19 this year. He placed his luggage on a trolley and headed to the Departure Hall. However, he had left his backpack behind.
Some 20 minutes later, Jaffar drove up in his Prime taxi, took the bag and drove off. In it were items that included a tablet computer, a laptop, two thumb drives and a watch.
He threw all these away in a rubbish bin and kept only the Japanese currency amounting to more than $42,840 that he found in a brown envelope in the bag. He then changed it into Singapore dollars at various money changers.
Mr Ohwaki realised his loss before his flight and reported it to the airport police. When Jaffar was arrested four days later, he only had $8,500 left having spent the rest paying bills and on shopping and personal expenses.
Police also found 0.9g of Ice hidden under his mattress in his Tampines flat. A urine test revealed he had abused the drug.
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