Hong Kong police have arrested a passenger for allegedly stealing cash and jewellery from two backpacks on a flight from Indonesia, as authorities continue their efforts to combat a persistent rise in cabin-related crimes.
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Airport police said on Saturday that two passengers the previous day had reported that cash and jewellery had gone missing from backpacks stored in overhead compartments.
Authorities said a 35-year-old mainland Chinese man was arrested on suspicion of theft following preliminary investigations.
He remained in police custody pending further investigation.
The arrest came amid a growing number of theft cases reported on board flights to Hong Kong over the past two years.
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Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung previously said Hong Kong recorded 169 cases of in-flight thefts involving HK$4.32 million worth of valuables in the first 10 months of 2024. That surpassed the annual numbers reported during the years of peak tourism in 2018 and 2019, in which 103 and 147 cases were reported, respectively.