A 50-year-old Chinese man will be charged on Mar. 11 for allegedly stealing S$750 and three bank cards aboard an aircraft going from Singapore to Jakarta.
According to a news release, police were alerted to a suspected theft on Oct. 2, 2025, at around 6:20pm.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the man left his seat, walked several rows ahead and allegedly removed a victim’s bag from the aircraft's overhead compartment.
The man purportedly returned to his seat, rummaged through the bag, taking the cash and cards from the victim's wallet before putting the bag back in its original place.
Cabin crew spotted suspicious behaviour
The man's suspicious behaviour was noted by a cabin crew member who alerted the victim to check on his belongings.
The victim checked his bag and discovered the cash and cards missing.
Cabin crew alerted the flight captain, and the matter was reported to Indonesian authorities.
Before arrival in Jakarta, the missing items were found and handed back to the victim.
Indonesian authorities denied entry to the man, and he was directed to return to Singapore.
He was arrested at Changi Airport by the Airport Police Division (APD).
Police also seized foreign currencies and several mobile phones from the man to be used as case exhibits.
Cabin crew awarded
On Nov. 3, 2025, Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Police M. Malathi, Commander of the APD, presented the Public Spiritedness Award to Muhammad Fariz bin Johari, the cabin crew member, in recognition of his vigilance in detecting the theft.
Malathi commended Fariz for his prompt response in reporting the suspicious behaviour during the flight.
The police said that this highlights the importance of "public vigilance in maintaining the safety and security of air travel".
Photo from SPF
Penalties & advisory
The man will be charged in court with the offence of theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code 1871, read with Section 3(1) of the Tokyo Convention Act 1971.
If found guilty, the offence carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine, or both.
The police also provided a reminder to members of the public to protect themselves from being victims of crime on board an aircraft, saying:
"Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
Keep your cash or valuables with you at all times instead of placing them inside the overhead luggage compartments
Be wary and keep a lookout for passengers who are seen opening up overhead compartments, retrieving baggage, and rummaging through them during the flight; and
Alert the cabin crew immediately of such suspicious behaviour."
SINGAPORE: A 59-year-old man was charged with communicating false statements of fact on Wednesday (Mar 11), in the first criminal prosecution under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) since it became law in 2019.
Jay Ish'haq Rajoo was also charged with defaming Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat, as well as attempting to promote feelings of ill will between different racial groups on grounds of race in relation to videos he posted on TikTok.
According to court documents, Rajoo is accused of defaming Mr Lee in a TikTok video posted on Aug 3, 2023.
In the video, Rajoo allegedly insinuated that Mr Lee's nomination of his former personal lawyer Lucien Wong as the Attorney-General showed nepotism and conflict of interest, court documents stated.
In July 2023 and August 2023, Rajoo posted TikTok videos that contained falsehoods relating to voting secrecy, CPF policies and the affordability of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats.
The POFMA Office and the police issued 24-month conditional warnings to him in 2024 for failing to comply with previous correction directions.
Under the conditional warnings, Rajoo had to refrain from criminal conduct during the specified period. He is accused of breaching them via a TikTok video last year.
TIKTOK POST IN 2025
In a TikTok post on Aug 26, 2025, Rajoo alleged that National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat had announced that the government would be providing money and resources to attract mainland Chinese to Singapore and nurture them for leadership positions.
He also claimed that the government was only using its money and resources to nurture leaders from the Chinese race.
He was issued another POFMA order in September 2025 over this TikTok post.
As he breached the conditional warnings by allegedly committing offences linked to the TikTok video, Rajoo faces charges over videos he posted in 2023, the police and the POFMA Office said on Tuesday.
Rajoo indicated on Wednesday that he intends to engage a lawyer. He will return to court on Apr 8.
Individuals who are convicted of communicating false statements of fact face a fine of up to S$50,000 (US$39,300), up to five years’ jail, or both.
Those convicted of defamation face a fine, up to two years in prison, or both.
Those convicted of attempting to promote feelings of ill will between different racial groups on grounds of race face a fine, up to three years in prison, or both.
One night in Singapore 5 of us went to this shop to have dinner
Many customers came to celebrate the CNY with friends and family
Sambal kangkong
Marmite chicken
Braised tofu with mushrooms
Long beans with dry shrimps
Cereal prawns
Fish head curry
Yam ring
[img]https://i.imgur.com/MpD5bgA.jpg[/img]
It was a great dinner celebrating CNY with friends
You do noticed alcohol was absent. I had basically stopped consuming alcohol . . . . . . for now.