In a shocking incident on a Scoot flight from Vietnam to Singapore, a 52-year-old Chinese national has been accused of stealing over S$31,000 from three passengers on board.
Zhang Xiuqiang was presented with three counts of theft in a district court on Monday, December 18, under the Tokyo Convention Act for offenses committed on Singapore-controlled planes.
According to official charge sheets, the thefts occurred between 9.30am and 12.30pm on December 16 during the Scoot flight TR305 from Ho Chi Minh City to Changi Airport. Zhang is alleged to have stolen S$50 and 510 million Vietnamese dong (equivalent to S$28,000) from a black haversack bag belonging to one of the victims, Tan Chin Kwang.
Furthermore, Zhang purportedly removed US$1,000 and S$930 from an envelope found in a grey bag owned by Park Sanggu. He also allegedly took S$600 and 3 million Vietnamese dong from the backpack of another passenger named Lim Janus.
Following his arrest, Zhang has been remanded for further investigations and is required to appear back in court on December 22, when he is expected to face formal charges. If convicted of theft, he may face a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both for each charge.
