Video shows a passenger standing up during the flight, opening an overhead bin, and then rummaging through a brown bag. He’s unaware that thebag’s owner is recoding him the whole time.
When he closed the bin and sat back down, the bag owner got up from his seat and walked directly over to confront him. The thief was still digging into the bag, oblivious that the owner was standing just behind his shoulder.
That’s when the owner pointed at his bag and at the man, pressed the overhead call button to seek assistance, and slapped the thief hard across the face — once, twice, then a third time — as the perpetrator tried to cover himself with his arm.
The avenging man continued to strike the thief as the cabin looked on, pulled him partly out of his seat, and then another passenger stepped in and to retrieve the bag.
The bag owner reached toward the hoodie pocket of the alleged thief, apparently trying to check for items hidden there. The man blocked his access, pushing his fists deep into the pocket.
The cabin appears to be Mahan Air, an Iranian carrier associated with the rogue goverment’s Revolutionary Guard and known for smuggling weapons. The video ends with the man escorted forward in the cabin. There’s no definitive word on what happened on arrival in Dubai, where such things are not looked kindly on.
At first I thought this was an old incident – it reminded me too much of this one from six month ago where a man in business class on SriLankan flight 226 from Dubai to Colombo was caught stealing inflight, with bags found cut open and valuables missing.
柒出國際 pic.twitter.com/STbkiHgKGM
— bravo for everyone (@BravoEveryone) February 7, 2025
Passengers do steal from bags in overhead bins especially when the cabin is dark and most people are sleeping. Even flight attendants steal from passengers and so does security. Yet we let anyone who wishes pick up any bag from baggage claim and just walk out.
I really don’t know what can be done about the baggage claim thing, at least in North American airports, Gary. If there are cameras watching the carousels that might help if the police are cooperative. The vast majority of people are honest, though that’s not enough to guarantee anything. I had a package stolen off the front porch and somebody actually walked off with my loaded shopping cart before I checked out, (just had to do the list all over again). Sad world with such people, but filching probably goes back to the first town big enough to hold a thief.
Breaking news: Thieves bad.
Incoming: Hot take making it about race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or some other identifier. Bigots gonna bigot.
The reason I keep my most valuable things in a waist bag on a belt when I fly.
You missed the opportunity to correct passengers’ misunderstanding about where to put their overhead bag if possible: in the overhead space ACROSS from their seat, so they can see anyone trying to access it.
@ E Douglas Jensen — Ding, ding, ding! You win the grand prize. I ALWAYS do this, and I am frequently grumbled at and occasionally yelled at for taking someone’s supposedly assigned bin. People are dense.
@ 1990 — Why do the thieves look alike?….no comment.
@Gene — Meh. Bah. Nod.
In Vegas, years ago, theft from the carousels was so bad that they put scanners in the ceiling and airport security checked each person as they left, and displayed the boarding pass to the scanner in the sky.
And this is why you lock your carryons.
@Loren — Some bags come with built-in locks, too. I’ve liked Monos and Away the most. They fit on the CRJs, too.