Two men are set to be charged for allegedly possessing three stolen bank cards, taken during a Vietnam flight to Singapore on Oct. 12 as part of a larger issue of theft on board flights in Asia.
Theft on board
On Oct. 14 Chinese nationals Shu Zaijun, 54, and Dong Bangjun, 59 are set to be charged for the alleged theft of three bank cards after boarding the Oct. 12 VietJet flight bound from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Singapore.
In a statement, police officials explained that the pair had been involved in two separate cases of theft on board an aircraft. Court documents do not specify whether or not the two men were working together, however both incidents occurred 30 minuets apart from each other- Shu allegedly stealing two cards from a passenger’s luggage at around 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 12 and about half an hour later, Dong allegedly stealing a credit card from another passenger’s bag.
It is suspected that the two men stole the cards from different passengers bags from the overhead compartments whilst aboard the flight, fleeing before garnering any suspicion from the victim.
Resulting consequences and recent data
The two men are currently in detainment and set to face trial, charged with theft on board an aircraft. If the pair are found guilty of the stolen bank cards they could face jail time of up to three years, a fine, or both under Singaporean theft law.
In a statement, the police officials advised that passengers keep their money or valuables on them instead of in the overhead compartments. A 2025 interview with The Straits Times, Assistant Commissioner M. Malathi, commander of the Airport Police Division in the Singapore Police Force, stated:
“A timely report is important for our officers to quickly track and trace the suspects and intercept them before they catch their next flight.”
Data shows that theft on board flights in Asia, specifically surrounding travelling hot spot locations such as Hong Kong and Malaysia, have skyrocketed a massive 70% since 2024 according to the South China Morning Post.
Just in the first 10 months of 2025, Hong Kong International Airport had 169 recorded cases of theft which totalled in HKD $4.32 million (£413,000) worth of stolen goods. In Malaysia, 146 theft cases had been reported in that same time frame, an increase from 88 the year before. Losses have also been disclosed in Japan’s Narita International Airport in Tokyo which handled 19 cases of on board theft in the first 10 months of 2024.
Authorities advise that passengers take extra precaution when on overnight flights as in-flight theft often targets long haul travel where passengers fall asleep or flight attendants cannot consistently monitor overhead storage compartments.
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