SINGAPORE — A businessman on board a Cambodia Airways flight to Singapore took another passenger's bag, unaware that a Singaporean police officer, who was seated nearby, was closely observing him.

When confronted, Chinese national Yi Huaichun lied to Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Lee Jun Long that the bag belonged to him.

ASP Lee then held up the bag and asked the other passengers if it belonged to any of them. Upon hearing this, its rightful owner stood up to claim it.

Yi was arrested when the plane landed at Changi Airport.

On Jan 30, the 45-year-old offender pleaded guilty to a theft charge and was sentenced to seven months' jail. Two other similar charges were considered during sentencing.

The incident took place on Dec 15, 2023, on a flight from Phnom Penh.

Yi was seated at 9C, ASP Lee in 8A and the victim in 7C.

Midway through the flight. Yi opened the overhead compartment for row 8 when he saw the passengers along that row appeared to be asleep.

While still standing at row 9, he stretched out his hand and slid a black haversack in the overhead compartment of row 8 to his own row. The compartments were connected to each other, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Dan Pan.

"The accused then brought the haversack to an empty seat at the back of the plane and rummaged through it, looking for items of interest to steal. He did not find any item of interest, and... returned the haversack to its original location," the DPP said.

Using a similar method, Yi took a second bag which he also returned when he found nothing to steal from it.

ASP Lee saw his antics and alerted his two colleagues who were also on board the same flight.

Yi then removed a third bag, containing items including around $250 in cash and three bank card, from an overhead compartment and took it to seat 2C.

After the three police officers saw him rummaging through the leather bag, ASP Lee got out of his seat, walked towards Yi and confronted him.

DPP Pan said: "The accused lied to ASP Lee that the leather bag belonged to him. ASP Lee then warned the accused to tell the truth as he had noticed the accused taking two other bags.

"The accused then replied that the leather bag was in fact not his and claimed that he was searching for his bag as he could not remember where it was."

The truth emerged after the bag was returned to its rightful owner.

ASP Lee then asked Yi for his passport and the latter immediately retrieved it from his own bag, despite his earlier claims that he could not recall where it was.

On Jan 30, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence him to between seven and eight months' jail, stressing that such offences are difficult to detect.

Yi's case was the second one reported in The Straits Times in January involving thieves who targeted their victims while travelling by air.

Another Chinese national, Zhang Xiuqiang, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of theft on Jan 12 and was sentenced to eight months' jail.

Zhang was on board a Scoot flight from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Singapore on Dec 16, 2023, when he stole cash from multiple passengers' carry-on luggage.

Among other things, he stole items including US$1,000 (S$1,340) in cash from one of them.

ALSO READ: Jail for thief who stole from multiple passengers on Scoot flight from Ho Chin Minh City to Singapore

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.