Man Steals $23,000 From Carry-On Bags During Flight: Report

A master criminal managed to steal $23,000 in cash from fellow passengers on a flight from Singapore to Vietnam.

Zhang Xiuqiang, 52, was onboard a Scoot Airlines flight when he allegedly stole roughly $123 (3 million Vietnamese dong) from a passenger’s backpack, $20,988 (510 Vietnamese dong and 50 Singapore dollars) from one passenger’s messenger bag, and $1,700 (930 Singapore dollars and $1,000 USD) from an envelope tucked inside another passenger’s bag.

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“Our cabin crew was alerted by a passenger to a suspected theft in the cabin and activated the Airport Police Division,” a spokesperson for Singapore Airlines, Scoot’s parent company, told CNN in a statement. “The involved passengers were escorted off the aircraft by airport authorities for further investigation, and disembarkation proceeded as usual for the rest of our passengers.”

Zhang’s flight left from Ho Chi Min City on December 16 and landed in Singapore just past 7 p.m. local time, according to FlightAware.

Zhang is being held by police investigating the charges and is facing up to three years of jail time per charge, in addition to fines.

The airline has also warned passengers to stay alert and aware of their belongings while en route in the skies.

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

Scoot Airlines did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur’s request for comment