Pickpocket strikes on flight from Tokyo to Paris
A pickpocket stole thousands of pounds’ worth of cash from Business class passengers as they slept on a flight from Tokyo to Paris.
Cabin crew did not spot the thief at work as he went through wallets and handbags during the 12-hour overnight flight.
Passengers woke to find large sums of cash missing. The captain alerted police, who met the Boeing 777 jet as it land as Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Tuesday morning, but they were unable to identify the thief.
One passenger told police that about £3,000 in mixed currencies had vanished from her handbag.
Five others, who had paid up to £5,000 each for their ticket, said they had also lost thousands in cash.
One told the French news website Le Post: ‘Most long-haul travelers sleep on overnight flights like this. But at the prices we pay for tickets, you would expect the cabin crew to be watching over us and making sure our belongings are safe.’
A spokesperson for the airline said it could not comment on this particular incident, but added: ‘As a general rule, passengers’ belongings in the cabin are their responsibility, while luggage in the hold id the airline’s responsibility.’