Man arrested for stealing laptop inside aircraft

A middle aged passenger suspect to be a member of a large syndicate specialising in stealing onboard aircraft has been arrested for allegedly stealing a laptop inside Ibom Air aircraft enroute Abuja from Lagos.

Penpushing reports that the Ibom Air spokesperson, Aniekan Essienette in a statement said the incident happened on Wednesday, 26 July, 2023 during boarding of the Air flight Q1300 and identified the suspect as David Ogeneochuko.

The airline spokesperson said the suspect stole the laptop from another passenger’s bag in the overhead cabin, adding that the owner of the laptop suspecting the movement of the suspect within the aircraft decided to check where he kept his laptop and discovered it has developed wings

‘The owner of the laptop, who suspected the movement of the said Mr David (Ogeneochuko) within the aircraft, decided to check where his laptop was kept and immediately realised the item was no longer there. He raised the alarm by notifying the crew members accordingly’,Essientte said.

‘A search was immediately instituted, which led to about half an hour delay, and the laptop was found with Mr David. He was immediately offloaded and handed over to the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) for further investigation, who then handed him over to the Police for further investigation. The police have since confirmed that the suspect is a member of a large syndicate specialising in stealing onboard aircraft,” the statement said.

Penpushing further reports that the authorities of the airline said the passenger who owned the laptop voluntarily stepped down from the flight in order to help in the investigation, adding that the organisation has zero tolerance for crime on board its flight, assuring that the suspect will be prosecuted

‘It would be recalled that one Kingsley Chinsunum was alleged to have stolen the sum of one hundred thousand Naira (N100,000.00) from a wallet kept inside a bag in the overhead bin, while on board Ibom Air flight 4150 at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal two Ikeja, on the 31st of May 2023. He has since been charged to Court and is presently facing trial at the Ikeja Magisterial District’, the spokesperson said.

‘Not too long ago, a passenger, one Mr Adebayi Adelugba, staged the stealing of his own checked-in bag and declared it missing, accusing the airline of negligence amidst threats of litigation, but for CCTV footage which caught him in the act’, the statement added.

‘He was convicted of the crime of threat against Ibom Air, disturbance of public peace, and lies at the Ogba Magistrate court in Lagos, where he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment and a fine’.

Penpushing also reports that the airline in the statement issued and made available on Thursday urged passengers on board its aircraft to be extra vigilant when travelling and report suspicious activities to crew members.

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