SINGAPORE- A Chinese national received a 20-month jail sentence after attempting theft of high-value items from a business class passenger on a long-haul Singapore Airlines (SQ) flight.
The court confirmed that a criminal syndicate financed the offence and that the act posed serious risks to aviation security and public trust.
The theft attempt occurred onboard Singapore Airlines (SQ) on a flight from Dubai (DXB) to Singapore (SIN) and involved valuables exceeding S$100K.
Reported by CNA, the case underscores ongoing concerns about organised theft targeting premium airline cabins.
Singapore Airlines S$100K Business Class Theft
Liu Ming, a 26-year-old Chinese national, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft and appeared for sentencing on December 23.
He boarded a Singapore Airlines (SQ) flight SQ495, which departed Dubai (DXB) in the evening of August 7, bound for Singapore.
Liu sat in the business class cabin. The victim, a 52-year-old Azerbaijani man, occupied a seat 5 rows ahead of him, while the victim’s wife sat 1 row in front of Liu. The 2 men had no prior acquaintance.
Prosecutors established that Liu boarded the aircraft with the clear intention to steal high-value items from business class passengers. A criminal syndicate directed and financed his actions.
Execution of the Theft During Flight
In the early hours of August 8, after dinner service ended and cabin lights dimmed, Liu left his seat while the cabin crew remained in the pantry with the curtains drawn. At that time, the victim slept, and his wife had just woken from a short nap.
Liu opened the overhead compartment above the victim’s seat, removed the victim’s carry-on luggage, and carried it back to his own seat. The victim’s wife noticed the movement and immediately confronted Liu, asking whether the bag belonged to him.
When she could not understand his reply due to a language barrier, she alerted the cabin crew. Liu then returned the unopened bag to the overhead compartment above the victim’s seat and went back to his seat.
Cabin crew searched the luggage and confirmed that no items were missing. The bag, however, contained valuables worth more than S$100,000.
The contents included cash in various currencies amounting to about S$12,000, a Huawei laptop valued at approximately S$2,100, 56 cigars worth more than S$5,400, a Chopard watch valued at over S$35,000, and an Audemars Piguet watch worth more than S$51,000.
Arrest, Investigation, and False Claims
Cabin crew informed ground staff before landing. Upon arrival at Changi Airport (SIN), police officers arrested Liu and recorded a formal report.
During investigations, Liu refused to cooperate. He denied committing theft and falsely claimed that he had mistaken the victim’s bag for his own because he wanted to retrieve toiletries.
Investigators found this explanation inconsistent, as Liu’s bag differed in appearance and material and remained stored in the overhead compartment above his own seat.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie sought a sentence of 20 to 24 months’ imprisonment and argued that the offence engaged the public interest.
He stated that repeated onboard thefts on Singapore’s national carrier would damage its reputation and undermine the country’s tourism industry.
He also highlighted the practical difficulty of detecting inflight thefts, noting that passengers cannot continuously monitor their belongings and cabin crew cannot observe every passenger throughout a flight.
The court accepted these submissions and imposed a 20-month jail sentence. Liu’s case followed other onboard theft convictions earlier in the year, including an incident involving accomplices on a Scoot flight.
Singapore law prescribes a maximum punishment of three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both for theft offences.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
