2 men charged over stealing bank cards on same Singapore-bound flight

SINGAPORE - Two men who allegedly stole bank cards on board the same Vietjet flight from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Singapore were each handed a theft charge on Oct 14.

Chinese nationals Shu Zaijun, 54, and Dong Bangjun, 59, are accused of committing the offences on Oct 12.

Court documents did not disclose if they were allegedly working together to commit the crimes.

Shu is accused of stealing two debit cards from a passenger’s bag at around 8.30am that day.

About 30 minutes later, Dong allegedly stole a credit card from another passenger’s bag.

Shu’s case has been adjourned to Oct 16, while Dong’s case will be mentioned again on Oct 28.

If convicted, each man can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.

In an earlier statement, the police said officers had conducted an operation at Changi Airport Terminal 4 at about 9.45am on Oct 12.

The two men were arrested after three bank cards that did not belong to them were found on them.

In February, the police said in their annual crime brief that the number of cases involving in-flight theft, an offence often linked to syndicates, saw an increase from two people charged in 2024 to six in 2025.

The Straits Times had also earlier reported that a spike in cabin theft cases in Asia has been blamed on members of organised crime groups, who catch short-transit flights – including trips to Singapore – to steal small items from passengers.

In an interview with ST in 2025, Assistant Commissioner M. Malathi, who is commander of the Airport Police Division, said in-flight theft cases are difficult to detect and investigate.

She added: “A timely report is important for our officers to quickly track and trace the suspects and intercept them before they catch their next flight.”

The police declined to reveal where the syndicates operate from, but checks by ST showed that four out of five people who were charged in 2025 over cabin theft were Chinese nationals.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.