Chinese passenger arrested for stealing on Vietnam flight, second in a week

By VnExpress March 2, 2017 | 06:33 pm PT

Dai Pa Peng, a Chinese national, is arrested for allegedly stealing on a Vietnamese flight on Friday. Photo courtesy of VTCNews

A passenger alerted the flight crew.

Police have arrested a Chinese man for allegedly stealing money from a passenger while aboard a flight in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported, the second such offense within a week.

Dai Da Peng, 26, took money from the bag of a Vietnamese man sitting in front of him on Vietnam Airlines' flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City Thursday when the victim was eating breakfast, the paper said, citing the crew’s report.

Dai inserted the cash into his coat and went to the toilet. Another passenger saw the act and alerted the flight attendants, who held Dai after he left the toilet. They found the money hidden inside.

The victim said he lost more than VND13 million ($570).

Many Chinese have been caught for theft aboard flights in Vietnam in recent years. The Vietnamese authorities have yet to take measures that can drastically deter the crime.

Dai's arrest came on the heels of a similar case on February 24 when another Chinese citizen was detained for stealing from two Japanese passengers on a Vietnam Airlines flight before takeoff to Hanoi.

Last November, the national carrier uncovered 14 cases of foreign passengers attempting to steal property from fellow travelers. Most of the culprits were Chinese.

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