Airline passenger accused of stealing $23K in cash from fellow travelers during flight

By Snejana Farbero

An airline passenger has been accused of swiping $23,000 in cash from carry-on luggage belonging to his fellow travelers during a short flight from Vietnam to Singapore.

Zhang Xiuqiang, a 52-year-old Chinese national, was arrested at Changi Airport Saturday and slapped with three theft counts on suspicion of ransacking the bags of three passengers.

The suspect and victims were traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore aboard a flight operated by Scoot Airline, the low-budget subsidiary of Singapore Airlines.

During the two-hour flight, Zhang pilfered about $123 from one passenger’s backpack and helped himself to nearly $21,000 that he found inside another traveler’s black messenger bag, according to charging documents reported on by Singapore’s Channel News Asia.

Zhang also allegedly looted $1,700 from an envelope he found inside a gray bag belonging to a third passenger.

Scoot and Singapore Airlines planes are pictured on the tarmac at Singapore's Changi Airport — Zhang Xiuqiang, 52, has been charged with stealing $23,000 from three of his fellow passengers aboard a Scoot Airline flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to Singapore.REUTERS

One of the passengers on the plane eventually told a flight attendant about the suspected theft spree, and the crew alerted the police at the airport, an airline spokesperson told CNN.

When the flight landed, Zhang and his alleged victims were all escorted off the plane by airport authorities.

Zhang was formally charged with theft counts in a Singapore district court Monday.

If convicted, he could face up to nine years in prison, a fine, or both.

The Post reached out to Scoot Airline Wednesday seeking comment and was awaiting a reply.

https://nypost.com/2023/12/20/news/airline-passenger-accused-of-stealing-23k-during-flight/