PETALING JAYA: In an update by the Hong Kong Security Bureau to a lawmaker last December, Hong Kong recorded 169 in-flight thefts in the first 10 months of 2024, involving valuables worth HK$4.32mil (RM2.34mil) – a 75% rise compared with the same period in 2023.
In Singapore, CNA reported in January that four people were charged with in-flight theft between January 2023 and September 2024.
Thefts can be attempted even on short flights, with a Chinese national arrested by Singapore authorities for stealing a credit card and more than RM658 in cash during a night flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore in March.
According to Selangor police, which is in charge of crimes committed on flights landing at KLIA, 267 police reports were lodged over missing items on flights at KLIA since 2022, with 146 of them reported in 2024.
However, only 26 investigation papers were opened because some victims were unsure when their items went missing, while others had continued with their journey to their respective destinations.
