A passenger on a Cambodia Airways flight rifled through his fellow passengers' bags in search of things to steal, unaware that a Singaporean police officer was on board the same flight, and was watching his actions.
The man, Yi Huaichun, a Chinese national, was then confronted by the police officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Lee Jun Long.
Yi then claimed that he was searching for his bag, but was able to find his bag immediately when asked to show his passport.
The 45-year-old later pleaded guilty to one charge of theft under the Tokyo Convention Act and was jailed for seven months on Jan. 30, 2024, reported CNA.
Two additional charges of theft, related to two bags he searched without taking anything, were considered during his sentencing.
Same flight as Singapore police officer
On Dec. 15, 2023, Yi was travelling to Singapore from Cambodia where he had worked as a businessman for about four years.
Unbeknownst to him, a few Singapore Police Force officers, including Lee, were on the same flight as him.
They were seated within rows of each other.
Rummaged through overhead compartments
Noting that other passengers were asleep and unaware of his actions, Yi rummaged through bags from the overhead compartments near his row.
He first took a haversack to an empty seat at the back of the plane to go through its contents, but did not see anything of interest.
He returned the bag and took another one, which he also returned without taking anything.
Lee had noticed Yi's actions by then and had informed two fellow police officers about his observations.
Stole victim's items
Yi next set his sights on the victim, another Chinese national, whom he noticed was not paying attention to his belongings.
He opened the compartment above the victim's row and took a leather bag that contained two wallets with S$250 cash, three bank cards, and two laptops.
He took the bag to an empty seat at the front of the plane, unaware that he was being watched by three police officers.
Caught by police officer
At this point, Lee went up to Yi, questioning him on what he was doing and if the bag belonged to him.
Yi initially lied and said that the bag was his, but admitted otherwise when Lee told him that he had seen him take two other bags earlier.
Yi then claimed that he was searching for his bag, as he had forgotten where it was.
Lee held up the leather bag to ask for its owner, and the victim shouted that the bag was his.
Arrested when plane landed in Singapore
Yi was arrested when the plane landed at Changi Airport and charged the next day.
During investigations, he insisted that he had just been searching for his bag as he had forgotten its whereabouts.
However, when Lee asked Yi to produce his passport on the plane, he was able to locate his bag, which was above his seat, immediately.
This action contradicted Yi's earlier explanation that he had forgotten where his bag was, the prosecution told the court, adding that Yi was not able to explain why he was able to find his bag then.
Offence was premeditated: Prosecution
The prosecution sought for seven to eight months' jail for Yi, pointing out that his offence was clearly premeditated.
The prosecutor said that Yi had targeted victims he noticed were asleep or not paying attention, and added that such victims are "highly vulnerable" as they are unable to keep a constant watch on their belongings.
Such offences are hard to detect and would impact Singapore's reputation as a safe country, the prosecutor said.
He also noted Yi's uncooperative behaviour during investigations and argued that his plea of guilt was not indicative of remorse as he had been caught red-handed with overwhelming evidence against him.
Family does not know he's in jail: Yi
Yi, who spoke through a Chinese interpreter, said that his family, who are in China, did not know that he was in prison.
Requesting a phone call to his family, he pleaded for proceedings to be completed "as soon as possible".
"(My family) thought I was still in Cambodia and have not received any news from me and they are concerned for my safety, whether I'm being kidnapped or killed," Yi added.
The judge said that it was "entirely fortuitous" that the police officers were on board the plane and vigilant enough to detect Yi's crimes, noting the difficulty of detecting such offences.
Yi was ultimately sentenced to seven months in jail.
For theft, he could have been jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
Top photo from Canva