Someone Robbed A Bunch Of Chinese Passengers Onboard A Flight To Prague
The robbery took place mid-air.
By Sadho Ram — 07 Jan 2018, 02:04 PM
A dozen passengers onboard a flight from Beijing to Prague were robbed by another passenger, who stole their cash that they had placed in seat pockets and luggage stored in overhead lockers
According to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP), the passengers came to know about the theft when one of them discovered her money was missing half an hour before the flight was supposed to land in the Czech Republic's capital city, Prague.
It prompted others to check their belongings, and they found that their money was missing too. They reported that cash in different currencies had been stolen, ranging in amounts from USD240 to USD5,000, SCMP reported on Saturday, 6 January.
While searching for their stolen money, the passengers spotted scrunched up banknotes on the floor under a man's seat
They also found a thick wad of US dollars tucked into a pillow on the seat.
The man was arrested on suspicion of theft after the plane landed in Prague. The 40-year-old, believed to be Chinese, will be sent back to China.
Apparently, the man had two accomplices who were believed to have transferred onto flights to Belarus, SCMP reported while citing a report by Xinhua.
The Chinese embassy in Prague has issued a warning to travellers about mid-air theft and advising them to be vigilant on planes
China’s embassy in the Czech Republic has advised its nationals against taking large amounts of cash onboard planes and to keep an eye on belongings during flights.
While citing a report on an official website for overseas Chinese, SCMP reported that theft rings targeting Chinese passengers onboard flights have become a problem.
"The gangs tended to work in groups of two or three people who stowed their hand luggage far away from where they were sitting so that they could easily move around the plane looking for targets," SCMP reported.