Chinese Man Charged With Stealing $23,000 From Fellow Passengers On Flight

A Chinese national has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing more than USD 23,000 in cash from three fellow passengers while on a budget flight from Vietnam to Singapore.

The man, named in court charge sheets as Zhang Xiuqiang, is a 52-year-old Chinese national, who had been on board the flight operated by Scoot, the budget carrier of Singapore Airlines.

An airline spokesperson told CNN that it “was aware of an incident” that occurred on board a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore on December 16.

“Our cabin crew was alerted by a passenger to a suspected theft in the cabin and activated the Airport Police Division,” the spokesperson said.

“The involved passengers were escorted off the aircraft by airport authorities for further investigation,” and disembarkation proceeded as usual, according to media reports.

Scoot said it was unable to provide further details about the case but has warned crew and passengers to remain vigilant on board.

“Our operating crew are trained to be vigilant and alert authorities of any suspicious behaviour on board our flights,” it said in the statement. “We also advise our customers to safeguard their valuables at all times.” 

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