We tend to be more careless (or less attentive, if you will) with our luggage at the airport and this is precisely what a couple of thieves from China counted on when they set out to make some money.
They were caught after they stole designer luggage from the carousel at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. They eyed only the most expensive suitcases and made their way, among others, with 2 Rimowa cases estimated at about $5,000.
According to Viral Press, Tze Yeung Li, 35, and Luo Jieying, 21, were caught after police surveilled CCTV footage from the terminal. An American tourist had complained that her expensive luggage was missing, which got the police on the couple’s trail.
They were caught when they returned to the airport, looking to catch a flight back home. A later search of the hotel room they were staying at showed that they had turned this into a profitable business: they would look for expensive cases and take them, then fly back home to China with the most valuable, to sell on the black market.
The couple eventually admitted to their crimes, adding that whatever was in the cases they stole was a “by-product.” They weren’t directly interested in the content of the luggage, but in the case itself, which could fetch half its retail price on the black market back home.
The report notes that they were charged with “burglary at night,” which “carries a slightly more severe penalty than burglary during the day, and have been held in custody while prosecutors prepare the case.”
“If you’re thinking of committing a crime at the airport, you will finish up in court,” airport boss Kittipong Kittikachorn says of the arrest, hoping to discourage future luggage thieves. “We have CCTV in thousands of locations and it is very difficult to escape from the eyes of the police. We are always on the side of the victim and will prosecute the offender.”
According to Viral Press, Tze Yeung Li, 35, and Luo Jieying, 21, were caught after police surveilled CCTV footage from the terminal. An American tourist had complained that her expensive luggage was missing, which got the police on the couple’s trail.
They were caught when they returned to the airport, looking to catch a flight back home. A later search of the hotel room they were staying at showed that they had turned this into a profitable business: they would look for expensive cases and take them, then fly back home to China with the most valuable, to sell on the black market.
The couple eventually admitted to their crimes, adding that whatever was in the cases they stole was a “by-product.” They weren’t directly interested in the content of the luggage, but in the case itself, which could fetch half its retail price on the black market back home.
The report notes that they were charged with “burglary at night,” which “carries a slightly more severe penalty than burglary during the day, and have been held in custody while prosecutors prepare the case.”
“If you’re thinking of committing a crime at the airport, you will finish up in court,” airport boss Kittipong Kittikachorn says of the arrest, hoping to discourage future luggage thieves. “We have CCTV in thousands of locations and it is very difficult to escape from the eyes of the police. We are always on the side of the victim and will prosecute the offender.”