Mainland Chinese man arrested after allegedly stealing a Rolex worth HK$330,000 on a flight to Hong Kong

Hong Kong police have arrested a man from mainland China on board a flight operated by Cathay Pacific Airways' budget airline HK Express. The man is suspected of stealing a Rolex watch worth HK$330,000 (US$42,321) and several thousand dollars in cash from a fellow passenger.

Police said on Monday that the 57-year-old man surnamed Chen was arrested the night before after officers received a report that HK$5,000, US$200, 20 euros (US$22.4 million) and one million Vietnamese dong (US$40 million) had also been stolen from the victim.

The stolen items also included a watch and a bank card.

Police added that the victim packed the items into a handbag and placed them in an overhead bin upon boarding, but discovered they were missing after the plane landed.

Airport staff called the police after the victim informed them of the incident and all passengers had boarded a bus on the tarmac.

“Several witnesses” identified the suspect, while the lost items, hidden under a mat on the bus's luggage rack, were recovered, police added.

A man who said he was a passenger on HK Express flight UO561 from Da Nang to Hong Kong, which landed at 12:25 a.m. on Sunday, claimed to have witnessed the arrest and posted clips and photos of the incident on Facebook.

“All the passengers got off and boarded a bus when suddenly the driver locked the doors without explanation and trapped us in the bus for about an hour,” he said.

“The air conditioning was on full blast and it was so cold – we banged on the doors but no one responded.”

The man said that after police officers arrived, a flight attendant came down and identified five mainland passengers, who were then brought back onto the plane after one passenger claimed some of her belongings were missing.

HK Express confirmed the case to The Post and said that staff had immediately called the police after the plane landed in Hong Kong, in accordance with standard procedures.

Passengers were also reminded to lock their hand luggage and to take valuables with them when leaving their seats or to entrust them to a companion.

Any suspicious behavior or suspected theft of items should be reported to cabin crew, the company added.

In March, a 54-year-old man was arrested by Singapore authorities at Changi Airport for allegedly stealing S$107,000 (US$82,217) worth of cash from a fellow passenger on a flight from Hong Kong to the city-state.