Singapore: A Singaporean baggage handler has been jailed for 20 days for swapping tags on nearly 300 suitcases at the city-state’s airport, causing them to end up at wrong destinations around the world.
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Tay Boon Keh, 66, had pleaded guilty to charges of swapping the tags on 286 bags at Changi Airport, one of the world’s busiest hubs.
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He made the swaps between November 2016 and February 2017 out of “frustration and anger” after his request for additional staff at his work section was ignored, a district court heard.
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Suitcases originally bound for various parts of the world, including Perth, Manila, Frankfurt, London and San Francisco, were affected, according to court documents.
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The bags belonged to passengers transiting through Changi and using Singapore Airlines and its regional wing SilkAir.
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Tay was suffering from major depressive disorder when he committed the offences, the court heard.
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But state prosecutors said evidence presented at a hearing showed his condition “did not contribute significantly to his commission of the offences” as he continued to have control over his actions.
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Prosecutor Thiam Jia Min said the swapping could have caused “potentially, even serious or fatal, consequences” as some passengers could have been left without medications.
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Changi handled nearly 65.6 million passengers last year.
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