Post by : Meena Ariff

Photo: Reuters

Authorities in Singapore have shared that there is a big rise in in-flight thefts happening across Asia. These thefts are being carried out by organized crime groups who steal from passengers during flights and quickly leave the country before getting caught.

Airport Police Division commander Assistant Commissioner M Malathi explained that these thieves usually work in pairs. They choose their targets carefully and steal only some cash or one or two cards from wallets so that people do not notice quickly. She said, “They won’t take the whole wallet because it will be easier to notice.”

She also said that it is important for passengers to report these thefts quickly so officers can track and catch the thieves before they board their next flight to escape.

Recently, the International Air Transport Association raised concern about the increasing number of cabin thefts, especially in Asia, over the past year and a half.

In Hong Kong, there were 169 cases of in-flight theft in the first 10 months of 2024, which is a 75 percent increase compared to the same time in 2023. The total stolen was about HK$4.32 million. In Malaysia, there were 146 cases in the same period, up from 88 cases the year before.

These crime groups use tricks like buying last-minute tickets, not checking in any bags, and changing airlines often so that they are not easily noticed by airport officers. This was shared by authorities in Vietnam, who are also seeing such problems.

Singapore Airlines said that although they did not give exact numbers, their flight crew is trained to watch out for suspicious activities and report them quickly during flights.

In Singapore itself, three people have already been charged with in-flight theft between January and May this year. This is more than last year when only one person was charged during the same time. Most of these suspects are Chinese nationals.

On June 4, two Chinese men named Liu Xitang and Wang Wei were charged with stealing US$169 and two debit cards from another passenger on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.

Earlier in May, another Chinese man named Zhang Kun was found guilty of stealing a credit card and more than US$200 from a passenger on the same route in March.

To stop such thefts, the Singapore Airport Police Division is using data analytics to find possible members of these crime groups. They check the travel behavior of passengers, such as if they travel often with short transit times, to catch suspicious people before they can steal again.

These incidents are a reminder for passengers to always keep their belongings safe and report any missing items quickly to help officers catch the thieves before they disappear.