TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police nabbed a Chinese man suspected of stealing cash from fellow passengers on several flights passing through Taiwan, reports said Tuesday (Oct. 31).
Airlines reported a series of thefts on airplanes beginning in March. Most of the victims had been traveling on Taiwanese airlines from Asian and Southeast Asian airports and passed through Taiwan to transit to Canada, France, and other long-haul destinations, per CNA.
The investigation soon focused on a Chinese national surnamed Wang (汪), 51, who had been seated close to the victims on each of the flights. An analysis of his travel routes concluded that his way of traveling was not economical, hinting at another motive behind his trips.
On five occasions, Wang reportedly pretended to be looking through overhead luggage compartments when cash amounts of United States dollars, euros, and yen disappeared from other travelers’ bags. The cash was sometimes replaced by bags of currency including the Cambodian riel, the Indonesian rupiah, and the sum from Uzbekistan.
The Aviation Police Bureau sought the cooperation of the airlines and posted officers in Hong Kong and Tokyo to look out for Wang. They booked seats on the same flights as he did to observe him.
They arrested him on Sept. 6 as he arrived from Tokyo in Taiwan and confiscated an estimated NT$276,000 (US$8,500) in cash. The five thefts he was allegedly involved in netted him a total of NT$800,000 (US$24,600), police said.
