Chinese gang that stole from passengers on international flights busted in Delhi

Delhi Police arrested a Chinese gang aboard an Air India flight for stealing valuables from passengers mid-flight, including cash and cards.

Delhi Police on Saturday said it had busted a Chinese gang that stole cash, payment cards, and other valuables from passengers mid-flight, with the arrest of a Chinese national aboard an Air India flight from Hong Kong to Delhi.

Benlai Pan (30), a resident of Henan in Hong Kong, in Delhi Police custody. His associates Meng Guangyang (51), Chang Mang (42), and Liu Jie (45) are being questioned. (HT Photo)

Police said they had arrested Benlai Pan, 30, a resident of Henan in Hong Kong. His associates Meng Guangyang, 51, Chang Mang, 42, and Liu Jie, 45, have also been apprehended.

The accused are part of a syndicate that targets passengers on international flights to steal their valuables, police said.

“On May 14, the Security and Vigilance team of Air India at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 alerted us about suspicious activity on board an incoming flight. Four Chinese nationals, including Pan, were detained after multiple passengers reported thefts during the journey,” said a police officer associated with the case.

Prabhat Verma, a passenger, told cabin crew that his Bank of America credit card was missing. “Cabin crew had earlier warned him about suspicious movements around his overhead baggage. The card was later found under Seat 14C, where Pan was sitting despite being assigned Seat 23C,” a second police officer said.

Another passenger, Prashi, reported the theft of her mother’s HDFC debit card. A third passenger, Nafeez Fatima, submitted a video recording allegedly showing Pan looking through her cabin baggage.

Additional Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani said police coordinated with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and airline staff to secure surveillance footage, passenger statements, and seize digital and physical evidence from the accused.

“Benlai Pan confessed to being part of a syndicate that books international transit flights specifically to exploit sleeping passengers and cabin vulnerabilities mid-flight. Their modus operandi included scattering gang members across the aircraft to avoid suspicion, targeting unattended baggage during flights, and then disposing of stolen cards to avoid traceability,” Rangnani said.

Police said they are analysing travel data and contacting international agencies to determine the syndicate’s global footprint. “Alerts have been issued to immigration and airport security teams nationwide, and we are liaising with Chinese authorities for background checks,” the officer said.