Two men to be charged over stolen bank cards on flight

SINGAPORE – Two men are set to be charged on Oct 14 after they allegedly stole bank cards from passengers’ bags on a flight from Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore.

In a statement on Oct 13, the police said the two Chinese nationals – aged 54 and 59 – were involved in two separate cases of theft on board an aircraft.

Officers from the Airport Police Division conducted an operation at Changi Airport Terminal 4 at about 9.45am on Oct 12.

During the operation, the officers arrested the two men after they were found with three bank cards that did not belong to them.

Further investigations revealed that the men allegedly stole the bank cards from two passengers during a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore.

Each man allegedly took the bank cards from a different passenger’s bag in the overhead compartment and disembarked without the victims realising that their cards were missing.

The two men are expected to be charged with theft on board an aircraft.

If found guilty, they may be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.

In their statement, the police advised travellers to keep their cash or valuables on them instead of in the overhead compartments.

They should also be wary of passengers seen retrieving or rummaging through baggage in those compartments during their flight.

The police added that travellers should alert the cabin crew immediately if they spot such suspicious behaviour.