Mid-air theft on Hong Kong-Delhi flight, Chinese national arrested
What's the story
A 30-year-old Chinese national, Benlai Pan, was arrested for mid-air theft on an Air India flight from Hong Kong to Delhi.
The incident came to light when the airline's Security and Vigilance team at Terminal-3 of IGI Airport alerted Delhi Police about suspicious activities on Flight AI-315.
Four Chinese nationals were detained based on complaints from passengers, according to an official statement by IGI Airport Police.
Theft reports
Passengers report missing credit and debit cards
Passenger Prabhat Verma reported that he was warned by cabin crew about suspicious movements near his overhead baggage. Upon checking, he found his Bank of America Credit Card missing.
He also noticed a suspicious person at Seat No. 14C, later identified as Pan, who was not assigned that seat but had originally booked Seat No. 23C.
The missing card was recovered from under Seat No. 14C by police authorities.
Additional theft
Another passenger reports missing debit card
Another passenger, Prashi, who was seated at 14A, also reported that her mother's HDFC Debit Card had gone missing from her handbag.
A third passenger, Nafeez Fatima, provided video evidence showing Pan opening cabin baggage and inspecting other passengers' belongings.
The airline staff conducted further checks and informed the authorities upon landing.
Gang profile
Suspected international gang's modus operandi revealed
The accused, Pan, was traveling with three other Chinese nationals—Meng Guangyang (51), Chang Mang (42), and Liu Jie (45). All four suspects were detained by police.
The police believe that the group is part of an international gang that targets sleeping passengers on international transit flights, stealing high-value items, cash, and cards.
Police are now examining their travel data from the past year as part of the investigation.
Legal proceedings
FIR filed against Pan, investigation ongoing
An FIR has been registered against Pan under sections 378/2025, 303(2) of the BNS at PS IGI Airport.
While Benlai has been arrested, the other three associates are under detailed investigation to determine their exact roles and involvement.
Recently, a Wizz Air flight from London to Tirana was delayed by nearly an hour and a half after cabin crew wrongly accused passengers of stealing a security guard's phone, sparking chaos on board.