Hong Kong logs 164% rise in thefts on inbound flights; HK$4.2 million watch among losses
Police say 132 thefts in eight-month period higher than 2023 full-year figure, with passenger losing HK$4.16 million watch in largest case
The 132 thefts in the period surpassed the number of cases on inbound flights in the whole of last year, prompting police to urge the public to be careful with their belongings.
Police said the biggest theft took place on a Swiss International Air Lines flight on August 30.
“The male passenger placed his backpack, containing one luxury watch worth about HK$4.16 million, inside the overhead compartment above his seat,” a police spokesman said.
He said the victim realised the watch had been stolen shortly after disembarking in Hong Kong.
The passenger was one of 132 travellers who fell victim to theft on board passenger jets flying into the city between January and August this year, compared with 50 people in the same period in 2023.