Man, 30, allegedly steals wallet on flight to S'pore & uses it to shop at Changi Airport, gets arrested in 1 hour

A 30-year-old Indonesian man allegedly stole a wallet belonging to another passenger from the overhead compartment on a flight to Singapore, and used the debit card inside at Changi Airport.

He was arrested within an hour, according to a Mar. 26 police news release.

Missing wallet

Police said that on Mar. 16 at about 4:55am, they were alerted to the case of alleged theft on a flight to Singapore.

The victim reported that her wallet was missing from her handbag, which had been stored in the overhead compartment on the aircraft.

She later received notifications on her banking app of unauthorised transactions made at retail outlets located in the transit area of Changi Airport.

The woman immediately called the police for assistance.

Investigations showed these transactions were allegedly made using the debit card from her missing wallet, police said.

Arrested within 1 hour

Officers from Airport Police Division established the identity of the man through ground enquiries and CCTV footage.

He was arrested within one hour of the report, before he could depart from Singapore.

Further investigations revealed that the man and victim are known to each other.

They had also used the same overhead compartment to store their belongings during the flight.

The man will be charged in court on Mar. 27 with the offences of theft and cheating.

Top image from Canva