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The Police have arrested a 59-year-old male Chinese national on 18 May 2026 for his suspected involvement in a case of theft onboard an aircraft. 

On 18 May 2026 at about 3.40pm, officers from Airport Police Division (APD) conducted an operation at Changi Airport Terminal 1 targeting theft cases onboard aircraft. In the course of the operation, the officers arrested the man, who was found in possession of two bank cards that did not belong to him. 

Further investigations revealed that onboard an aircraft enroute from Korea to Singapore, the man had removed a victim’s bag from the overhead compartment located behind the victim and moved to another seat several rows in front. He then took the victim’s wallet from the bag, removed two bank cards belonging to the victim, and returned the wallet to the bag before placing the bag back in the overhead compartment. The man subsequently disembarked the aircraft with the victim being unaware of the theft. 

The man will be charged in court on 20 May 2026 with the offence of theft onboard an aircraft under Section 379 of the Penal Code 1871, read with Section 3(1) of the Tokyo Convention Act 1971. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine, or both. 

The Police have zero tolerance against acts of theft onboard an aircraft and will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders, who will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law.

The Police would also like to remind members of the public to protect themselves from being victims of crime onboard an aircraft. Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• Keep your cash or valuables with you at all times instead of placing them inside the overhead luggage compartments;
• Be wary and keep a lookout for passengers who are seen opening overhead compartments and retrieving baggage or rummaging through them during the flight; and
• Alert the cabin crew immediately to such suspicious behaviour.