Jail, caning for man caught at Changi Airport with knife inside shoe before flight to Indonesia

SINGAPORE – A man hid a knife with an 11cm-blade inside his shoe, as requested by a friend, before attempting to board an Indonesia-bound flight at Changi Airport.

On Oct 6, Syaifudin Alfitroh, 32, was sentenced to 10 months’ jail and six strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

The Indonesian national worked as a sea crew onboard vessels in the Indian Ocean, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Kai.

In March 2026, Syaifudin met a man named Ahmad aboard a vessel. Ahmad handed him a knife wrapped in plastic and instructed him to hide it in his shoe before departing for Jakarta, Indonesia.

Court documents did not specify Ahmad’s motive or why Syaifudin agreed to do so.

On Aug 5, Syaifudin was on a Taiwan-flagged transshipment vessel bound for Marina South Pier in Singapore when he reported being unwell. His boss then arranged for him to catch a flight back to Indonesia from Singapore.

Syaifudin claimed he wanted to store the knife in his check-in luggage when packing his belongings before arriving in Singapore on Aug 27, but he remembered Ahmad’s instructions to put the knife in his shoe.

Later that day, Syaifudin was going through security at Changi Airport Terminal 4 when auxiliary police officers flagged a suspicious object in his right shoe, hidden below two layers of socks.

He was arrested on the same day and charged in court on Aug 29.

Seeking a jail term of 10 to 12 months and six strokes of the cane, the prosecutor said there was significant potential harm in this case.

“If not for the vigilance of the auxiliary police officers in detecting the knife, the consequences of the accused bringing a concealed knife onto a plane could be catastrophic,” added the DPP.

In mitigation, Syaifudin said this was his first offence and sought leniency in sentencing.

“I was only transiting through Singapore and did not realise Singapore had such strict regulations on weapons. I feel remorseful and humbly ask the court for a lighter sentence,” added Syaifudin.

Those convicted of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority can be jailed for up to three years and caned.

Nadine Chua is a correspondent covering crime and court at The Straits Times.