2 men, aged 54 & 59, Chinese nationals, allegedly steal bank cards on S’pore-bound aircraft, charged for theft

Two Chinese nationals was charged on Oct. 14, 2026, for their involvement in two separate cases of theft onboard an aircraft.

According to chargesheets seen by Mothership, Shu Zaijun, 54, and Dong Bangjun, 59, were found in possession of three bank cards that did not belong to them.

Shu allegedly stole two debit cards from a passenger’s bag at around 8:30am on Oct. 12.

About half an hour later, Dong allegedly stole a credit card from another passenger’s bag.

Chargesheets did not state if the two men were working together.

The police said in a press release on Oct. 13 that the men were arrested during an operation at Changi Airport Terminal 4 targeting theft cases onboard aircraft.

Stolen from passengers' bags

Further investigations revealed that the men had stolen the bank cards from two passengers’ bags on a flight from Ho Chi Minh to Singapore.

They had taken the bank cards from bags stored in overhead compartments, and were able to disembark without the victims realising their cards were missing.

The two men was charged in court on Oct. 14 with the offence of theft onboard an aircraft.

The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine, or both.

The police reminded members of the public to keep their valuables with them instead of placing them in the overhead luggage compartments.

The public is also reminded to look out for passengers exhibiting suspicious behaviour and alert the cabin crew immediately.

"The police have zero tolerance for theft onboard an aircraft and will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders and bring them to justice," the police said.