In-flight theft: Chinese man sentenced for stealing $120,000 in cash

A 54-year-old Chinese man has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for stealing a total of 120,000 Singapore dollars (US$88,700) in cash from a jeweller during a flight from Hong Kong to Singapore.

Peng Hui pleaded guilty last Friday to four charges, including theft, carrying more than 20,000 Singapore dollars in cash into Singapore without reporting, converting some of the stolen cash into casino chips and trying to send the money to China, reports Channel News Asia.

According to the report, Peng boarded Singapore Airlines flight SQ899 on March 5, where he noticed the victim had a large amount of cash and had left his unsecured bag in the overhead compartment. While the victim was asleep during the flight, Peng stole the money from the victim's bag.

Upon arrival at Changi Airport, the victim discovered the cash was missing from his bag when he passed through the immigration checkpoint and immediately reported the incident to the local police. Following a police investigation, Peng was arrested the following day after reviewing flight records and security footage.

During court proceedings, Peng pleaded for leniency, citing his age, health problems including diabetes and having only one kidney, and expressed remorse for damaging Singapore's tourism reputation.