SINGAPORE, Dec 24 — A Chinese national who boarded a Singapore Airlines flight with the intention of stealing from business-class passengers has been jailed for 20 months, in a case prosecutors say underscores the growing threat of mid-air thefts.

According to Singapore-based media organisation CNA, 26-year-old Liu Ming admitted to one count of theft after taking a passenger’s bag during an overnight flight from Dubai to Singapore on August 7–8.

The court heard that Liu was financed by a criminal syndicate and had boarded flight SQ495 specifically to target high-value belongings. The victim, a 52-year-old Azerbaijani man, was seated five rows ahead of Liu; his wife sat a row in front of the offender. None of them knew each other.

Liu made his move in the early hours of August 8, when dinner service had ended and the lights were dimmed. With cabin crew behind the curtains in the galley, he opened the overhead bin above the victim’s seat, removed the man’s carry-on and took it back to his own row.

The victim’s wife spotted the movement and confronted him, asking if the bag was his. CNA reported that she could not understand his reply, prompting her to alert cabin crew. While she did so, Liu quietly returned the bag to the compartment and went back to his seat.

When questioned, Liu lied that he had been “confused” about which bag was his. A search later confirmed that nothing had been taken — although the luggage contained more than S$100,000 (RM315,000) worth of valuables, including cash, cigars, a Huawei laptop, and luxury watches from Chopard and Audemars Piguet.

Liu was arrested when the plane landed at Changi Airport. Prosecutors said he remained uncooperative, continuing to insist he had simply reached for the wrong bag despite his own luggage — different in both “appearance and material” — being stored directly above his seat.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie urged the court to impose a stiff sentence, warning that such cases pose a wider risk to public confidence in Singapore’s flag carrier. “The proliferation of theft offences onboard Singapore's national carrier would tarnish its reputation, and that of Singapore's tourist industry,” he said.

He also stressed the difficulty of detecting inflight thefts, noting that passengers cannot monitor their belongings throughout a flight and cabin crew cannot keep watch over every aisle at all times.

The court agreed, handing Liu a 20-month jail term. Under Singapore law, theft carries a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.