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Home » News » Klepto Steals $23,000 From His Seatmates On Flight To Singapore
NewsSingapore

Klepto Steals $23,000 From His Seatmates On Flight To Singapore

Matthew Klint Posted onDecember 21, 2023December 21, 2023 15 Comments

a person in handcuffs holding money

A man faces up to three years in prison for purportedly helping himself to nearly $23,000 from three different passenger carry-on bags onboard a flight to Singapore.

Man Accused Of Stealing $23,000 From Three Passengers On Singapore-Bound Flight

Zhang Xiuqiang, 52, a Chinese national, had quite a “productive” flight on Scoot Airlines flight TR305 from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Singapore (SIN) on December 16, 2023. During that two hour flight, he is accused of stealing:

  • $20,948 from a black backpack (over 500,000,000 Vietnamese Dong)
  • $1,500 from an envelope in a gray bag
  • $500 from another backpack

Xiuqiang must not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer because getting away with stealing on a long and dark overnight flight is one thing, but stealing from multiple passengers in broad daylight (the flight departed at 9:30 am) is really a head-scratcher.

My guess is that someone noticed him take something and may have even confronted him, because authorities were alerted and met the aircraft when it landed at Singapore Changi Airport. There, Xiuqiang was escorted off the aircraft and directly into custody.

He has been charged with three counts of theft.

A Scott spokesperson explained:

“Our cabin crew was alerted by a passenger to a suspected theft in the cabin and activated the Airport Police Division. 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.”

The spokesperson added, ‘”We also advise our customers to safeguard their valuables at all times.”

No kidding. I’m not about to ever travel with $20,000 in cash, let alone $1,500, but if I did I would place it in my personal items and keep it under the seat in front of me…

CONCLUSION

A man faces jail time in Singapore for his allegedly stealing over $23,000 from a trio of passengers onboard a morning flight to Singapore.

I find it odd that this this theft was made in broad daylight and do seriously what was going through Xiuqiang’s mind (hence the kleptomaniac suggestion).

While I would avoid carrying valuables altogether on flights, if you must carry money, keep it close and out of reach of sticky hands.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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15 Comments

  1. Alert Reply
    December 21, 2023 at 8:13 am

    Pouch around the neck , next to chest , is a good suggestion .

  2. Santastico Reply
    December 21, 2023 at 8:17 am

    Who travels with that much cash? In my case my wallet stays in my pocket or inside my backpack which is locked.

    • Chi Hsuan Reply
      December 21, 2023 at 11:06 am

      Asians love cash BELIEVE THAT.

  3. Chi Hsuan Reply
    December 21, 2023 at 8:39 am

    The US government should hire him. He’s do well.

    • Alert Reply
      December 21, 2023 at 10:03 am

      He would be a good fit as a politician .

  4. Maryland Reply
    December 21, 2023 at 8:57 am

    I have a flexible bucket style tote bag. It’s nice because it can stand up when needed. It also remains wide open. It’s used for water bottles, clothing etc. Nothing of value. Twice I’ve found someone with their hand in/on it returning from the lav. You wouldn’t your seatmate could be that stupid.

    • Alert Reply
      December 21, 2023 at 10:01 am

      Why did they take your tote to the lav ?

      • Maryland Reply
        December 21, 2023 at 10:17 am

        @ alert I leave it on the seat or floor. Valuables are with me in lav. It probably looks tempting because it is a very nice tote.

        • Alert Reply
          December 21, 2023 at 2:18 pm

          @Maryland … Thanks … I was joking because I saw a funny in your sentence . Cheers .

  5. Derek Reply
    December 21, 2023 at 9:33 am

    25 strokes on the bare bottom with a cane!

    If he cries, 25 more!

    • briab Reply
      December 21, 2023 at 11:01 am

      Nah…. ! stroke per USDing, or better yet, 1 stroke per Viet Dong pilfered ! ..Just a few million !

  6. Tony N. Reply
    December 21, 2023 at 12:36 pm

    WHY would anyone carry around $ 23,000 in their backpack. It is not only dangerous but probably opens up the case for illegal money.

  7. Rob Reply
    December 21, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    I’ve traveled with a large amount of cash on an airline to purchase a classic car in another state and cash was the only way they would sell the car out of state. Not even a bank check as they are easily faked and canceled. Just keep that cash in eyesight or on your persons. Dahhh…

  8. Christian Reply
    December 22, 2023 at 3:29 am

    Klepto? Are you suggesting that he was suddenly overcome by an irresistible urge to steal? That’s more charitable than my take which is that he’s just a miserable thief.

  9. PolishKnight Reply
    December 25, 2023 at 9:32 pm

    I’m tempted to tease Matt (ok, I’m succumbing to it…) to point out that he put his passport in one of those tempting storage areas and forgot about it. While we can all say it’s ideal to store our valuables on us at all times, confess folks, you put your passport into your laptop case like I do. We have an area where we stow all the goodies: boarding passes, passports, and money and watch it like a hawk. It’s great when we do so as a family because that helps secure it.

    I’m surprised that with all these overpriced designer bags out there, it’s not become a standard to include an alarm feature that can be set to go off if someone opens it incorrectly or moves the bag. I love the scene in From Russia with Love where Bond tricks the Spectre villain by letting him open a boobytrapped briefcase.

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