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A flight attendant has been charged with stealing Dh18,550 (around P272,000) from three brothers while on a plane coming from Bangkok bound for Dubai last June 21.
The steward, a 37-year-old Egyptian, confessed to stealing from the men’s wallets while they left their seats during the flight, reported the Khaleej Times today, Oct. 18.
The brothers, who were booked in business class, had gone to check on their father who fell ill and was in the same class. Upon returning to their seats, they found cash missing from their wallets amounting to $2,600 (around P140,000) and Dh9,000 (around P132,000).
After they informed the flight crew of the incident, a stewardess brought them to the first class kitchen. There, she took pictures of the remaining cash they had since these had the same serial numbers as those stolen.
After landing, police searched the airplane, and the men’s baggage and wallets were taken for inspection. They were instructed not to touch their belongings.
Eventually, police were able to match a fingerprint from a bill in a wallet with that of the steward’s. One of the brothers noted that prior to learning of the theft, he saw the steward buying a duty-free perfume during the flight worth Dh1,000.
The steward was arrested on July 24. He first denied that he had committed the theft, stating that he had been assisting the passengers with their belongings. But soon he confessed and claimed that he had flushed the money down a toilet after police were called about the theft and before the plane had landed.
The trial is adjourned until Nov. 11. Niña V. Guno/JB
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