A business class passenger has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for attempting to steal another traveller's luggage during a Singapore Airlines flight, in a case that highlights the risk of theft even in premium cabins.
The In-Flight Heist Attempt
Liu Ming, a 26-year-old Chinese national, boarded the Singapore Airlines flight from Dubai to Singapore on 7 August with the specific intention of stealing high-value items from other business class passengers, the court heard. He was seated five rows in front of a 52-year-old Azerbaijani man and one row ahead of the man's wife.
In the early hours of 8 August, after the dinner service had concluded and the cabin lights were dimmed, Liu made his move. While the male victim was asleep, his wife awoke from a short nap to see Liu walking to her husband's seat. She watched as he removed her husband's bag from the overhead compartment and carried it back to his own seat.
Confrontation and Arrest
The victim's wife immediately confronted Liu. When she did not understand his response, she alerted the cabin crew. Realising he was in trouble, Liu returned to the victim's seat and placed the luggage back in the overhead compartment from where he had taken it.
Liu initially claimed to the cabin crew that he had taken the bag by mistake, confusing it with his own. However, upon arrival at Singapore's Changi Airport, he was arrested after crew informed ground staff. Police later noted that Liu's bag was entirely different in both appearance and material from the victim's, undermining his claim of an error.
High-Value Contents and Legal Consequences
The court was told the targeted bag contained items with a total value exceeding S$100,000 (approximately £57,625). The inventory included:
- Cash and a Huawei laptop worth around S$2,100
- 56 cigars valued at over S$5,400
- A Chopard watch worth more than S$35,000
- An Audemars Piguet watch valued at over S$51,000
Fortunately, no items were missing because the victim's wife confronted Liu so quickly after the theft.
During investigations, Liu was uncooperative and continued to deny the theft, maintaining it was a mistake. Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie sought a jail term of up to 20 months, arguing that such offences tarnish the reputation of Singapore's national carrier and its tourism industry. Liu ultimately pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.
This sentencing follows a similar case in May, where another Chinese national, Zhang Kun, was jailed for 10 months for stealing a backpack from the overhead compartment on a Scoot flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.
