30-1-2024 (SINGAPORE) A Chinese national, Yi Huaichun, has been sentenced to seven months in jail after stealing a bag on a Cambodia Airways flight while being monitored by Singapore police officers. Yi was caught in the act but attempted to claim that he was searching for his own bag. The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to one charge of theft under the Tokyo Convention Act and two other similar theft charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing.
The incident occurred on the morning of December 15, 2023, when Yi, along with several Singapore Police Force officers, was on a Cambodia Airways flight from Cambodia to Singapore. Yi, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Lee Jun Long, and the victim, another Chinese national, were seated in close proximity to each other. While the other passengers were asleep, Yi took advantage of the situation and started rummaging through their bags.
Yi first opened the overhead compartment for his row and then proceeded to check the bags of other passengers. He took a haversack from the connected overhead compartment above the next row and inspected its contents before returning it. Yi then stole a second bag but quickly returned it as well. Unbeknownst to him, ASP Lee had noticed his suspicious actions and alerted his fellow police officers on the flight.
Yi’s attention then turned to the victim, who was not paying attention to his belongings. He opened the compartment above the victim’s head and took a leather bag containing cash, bank cards, and laptops. Yi relocated to an empty seat at the front of the plane, where he proceeded to search through the stolen bag. Throughout this entire time, he was under the watchful eyes of three police officers.
ASP Lee approached Yi and questioned him about his actions. Initially, Yi falsely claimed that the bag was his, but when confronted with the fact that he had taken two bags earlier, he admitted that it was not his bag. Yi then asserted that he had been searching for his own bag because he had forgotten where he had placed it. However, this explanation was contradicted by the fact that Yi could immediately locate his own bag when asked to produce his passport.
Upon landing at Changi Airport, Yi was arrested and charged the following day. During the investigation, he refused to admit his guilt and maintained that he was merely searching for his bag. The prosecution argued that Yi’s offense was premeditated, and he specifically targeted victims who were asleep or not paying attention to their belongings.
In court, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dan Pan highlighted the vulnerability of victims in such cases, as they are unable to constantly monitor their belongings. He also emphasized the difficulty of detecting such offenses and the potential impact on Singapore’s reputation as a safe country. The prosecution cited an increase in aircraft theft cases, with 43 cases reported in 2012 and 35 cases in 2013.
Yi, speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, pleaded for a swift resolution of the proceedings and requested a phone call to his family in China, expressing their concern for his safety. District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt took into account the prevalence of such offenses and the fortuitous presence of vigilant police officers on the plane who apprehended Yi. Theft under the Tokyo Convention Act carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
