Theft in the air: Are your valuables stowed safely away? Photo / Ulrich Baumgarten, Getty Images
Theft in the air: Are your valuables stowed safely away? Photo / Ulrich Baumgarten, Getty Images
Are you one of those people who leave your bags and valuables behind on a plane while you head to the loo? This will make you think again, news.com.au reports
An Emirates crew member has been accused of stealing $7000 from passengers on a flight from Thailand to Dubai.
The alleged mid-air robbery happened in business class on the Emirates flight in June, according to court records obtained by Gulf News.
Gulf News reported three brothers had left their belongings unattended at their seat while they went to check on their father, who had fallen sick during the flight.
When they returned to their seats the men noticed about $7656, comprised of Emirati dirhams and US dollars, had been taken from their bags.
"My brothers and I went to check on my father," one of the brothers told prosecutors, according to Gulf News.
The incident allegedly happened on the Emirates flight between Thailand and Dubai. Photo / Vijayanand Gupta, Getty Images
"When we returned to our seats, I discovered that Dh 3700 (NZ$1531) were missing from my wallet. My brothers also discovered that Dh 14,800 (NZ$6125) in dollars and dirhams were missing from their wallets.
"We alerted the cabin supervisor who took us to the business class galley and took photos of the money that wasn't stolen from our wallets. These had serial numbers that were in sequential order with the stolen banknotes.
"When the plane landed, police took our belongings to examine the fingerprints and they searched the plane, but the money wasn't recovered."
An Egyptian man, 37, who was a flight attendant on the flight, was charged with theft after police allegedly matched his fingerprints to one of the men's wallets.
He pleaded not guilty in a Dubai court on Wednesday.
Despite the cramped quarters on the plane, it's not the first time people have allegedly been robbed on flight.
Last year, a New Zealand couple lost about $4168 on an Emirates flight from Paris to Dubai while travelling in first class.
Steve Hay and his partner Andy had left their cash, in euros, in Mr Hay's carry-on bag while they went to the plane's bar for about 45 minutes.
When they returned, all but about $4 of it was gone.
When the plane landed, security photographed passports of passengers on the flight and searched the plane for any sign of the missing money, with no avail.
"(Security officers) asked if we suspected anybody. We said we wouldn't have a clue," Mr Hay told the Herald.
The travel blog One Mile at a Time has reported on a trend of passengers who booked flights with quick turnarounds in the Middle East with the specific purpose of stealing valuables mid-air.
