Mainland Chinese man arrested after allegedly stealing HK$330,000 Rolex on Hong Kong flight
- Man, 57, apprehended after police receive report that watch, HK$5,000, US$200, €20 and 1 million Vietnamese dong allegedly stolen from passenger
Hong Kong police have arrested a mainland Chinese man on board of a flight of Cathay Pacific Airway’s budget carrier, HK Express, for allegedly stealing items such as a Rolex watch worth HK$330,000 (US$42,321) and thousands of dollars in cash from a fellow passenger.
The force said on Monday the 57-year-old man, surnamed Chen, was apprehended the previous night after officers received a report that the victim was furthermore allegedly robbed of HK$5,000, US$200, €20 (US$22.4) and 1 million Vietnamese dong (US$40).
The watch and a bank card were also among the stolen items.
Police added the victim, a 39-year-old man surnamed Yip, had placed the items inside a handbag and stowed them in an overhead baggage compartment when he boarded, but found them gone after the plane landed .
Airport staff members called police after the victim notified them of the incident and all plane passengers had boarded a bus on the tarmac.
“Several witnesses” identified the suspect, while the lost items which were hidden under a mat on the luggage rack of the bus were recovered, police added.
A man, who said he had been a passenger on HK Express flight UO561 from Da Nang to Hong Kong which landed at 12:25am on Sunday, claimed he had witnessed the arrest as he posted clips and photos of the operations on Facebook.
“All the passengers disembarked and got onto a bus, when the driver suddenly locked the doors without explanation and kept us trapped inside for about an hour,” he said.
“The air conditioner was blasting and it was so cold – we banged on the doors but no one responded.”
The man said that after police officers arrived, a flight attendant came down and identified five mainland passengers, who were subsequently brought back onto the plane.
HK Express confirmed the case with the Post, and said staff had immediately called for police assistance once the plane landed in Hong Kong, in accordance with standard procedures.
It also reminded passengers to lock their carry-on bags, and that they should take valuables with them whenever leaving their seats, or entrust them with a companion.
Suspicious behaviour or suspected stolen property should be reported cabin crew, the company added.
In March, a man, 54, was arrested by Singaporean authorities at Changi Airport for allegedly stealing S$107,000 (US$82,217) in cash from a fellow passenger on a flight from Hong Kong to the city state.
