A Chinese citizen who attempted to steal items worth approximately 80,000 dollars from the hand luggage of an Azerbaijani citizen flying business class from Dubai to Singapore has been arrested in Singapore.
Modern.az reports that, according to information disseminated by Singaporean media, the incident occurred in August of this year, and 26-year-old Chinese citizen Liu Min was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment after a court process that concluded a few days ago.
According to the information, the 52-year-old Azerbaijani citizen was flying from Dubai to Singapore with his wife on Singapore Airlines flight SQ495. Liu Min was also on the same flight in the business class cabin. Based on the prosecution's investigation, the suspect boarded the plane with the premeditated intention of stealing valuable items from business class passengers, and his actions were financed by a criminal syndicate.
On August 8, after dinner, when the lights in the cabin were dimmed, Liu Min got up from his seat, opened the overhead compartment above the sleeping Azerbaijani passenger's seat, took the handbag, and carried it to his own seat. At that moment, the passenger's wife saw the incident, immediately intervened, and asked if the bag belonged to him. Unable to get a response due to the language barrier, the woman immediately informed the flight attendants. Subsequently, the suspect returned the bag without opening it.
Crew members checked the bag and confirmed that no items were missing. During the investigation, it was revealed that the bag contained valuable items with a total value exceeding 100,000 Singapore dollars. Among them were approximately 12,000 Singapore dollars in cash in various currencies, a Huawei laptop worth 2,100 dollars, 56 cigars valued at over 5,400 dollars, a Chopard brand watch valued at over 35,000 dollars, and an "Audemars Piguet" brand watch valued at over 51,000 dollars.
After the plane landed in Singapore, the crew informed ground services, and Liu Min was apprehended by the police at Changi Airport. During the investigation, he denied the intention to steal, claiming he had supposedly mistaken the bag for his own belongings. However, investigators deemed this explanation unfounded, as the bags were completely different in appearance and material, and the suspect's own bag remained in its place.
Chea Wenchze, a representative of the Singapore Attorney-General's Chambers, stated in court that such crimes occurring on board an aircraft can seriously damage the reputation of the national airline and the country's tourism sector. He emphasized that passengers cannot constantly monitor their belongings during a flight, and it is impossible for the crew to observe the entire cabin simultaneously.
It should be noted that the identity of the Azerbaijani citizen is not disclosed, but it is reported that the attempted theft was prevented precisely thanks to the vigilance of his wife.
