Hong Kong arrests 2 passengers for theft on flights from Vietnam

A 61-year-old man was arrested on Friday after reportedly stealing VND10 million (US$390) from another passenger on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City, the South China Morning Post reported.

The incident came to light when the victim noticed their backpack, stored in the overhead compartment, had been moved and discovered the cash inside was missing, The Standard reported.

Police officers were called to the scene and arrested the suspect after recovering the stolen cash from his luggage.

In a similar case last week, a 38-year-old man was detained for allegedly stealing cash worth US$4,500 from another passenger’s overhead bag on a flight from the central city of Da Nang.

Hong Kong has seen a surge in in-flight thefts, recording 169 cases involving HK$4.32 million (US$555,050) worth of valuables in the first 10 months of 2024, The Star reported.

This figure has already surpassed the annual total reported during the peak tourism years of 2018 and 2019.