Chinese national faces charges for alleged theft of S$31,000 on Scoot flight

A 52-year-old Chinese national allegedly stole a total of S$31,000 from passengers on board a Scoot flight from Vietnam to Singapore.

The accused, Zhang Xiuqiang, appeared in a district court on Monday (18 Dec) and was charged with three counts of theft, under the Tokyo Convention Act for offences on Singapore-controlled planes.

According to the charge sheets presented in court, Zhang is accused of stealing from three individuals during Scoot flight TR305, which was en route from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm on Saturday (16 Dec).

The victims, as identified in the documents, include Lim Janus, Tan Chin Kwang, and Park Sanggu.

Lim Janus reportedly had S$600 and 3 million Vietnamese dong (equivalent to S$164) stolen from his backpack.

Tan Chin Kwang allegedly lost S$50 and a substantial amount of 510 million Vietnamese dong (approximately S$27,900) from his black haversack.

Another victim, Park Sanggu, claimed that Zhang took US$1,000 (S$1,330) and S$930 from an envelope in his grey bag.

Following the alleged theft, Zhang was remanded for further investigations and is scheduled to return to court on Friday (22 Dec).

If convicted of theft, he could face a maximum jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both for each charge levied against him.