Some people just want to watch the world burn. For no known reason at all, a baggage handler went on a roguish spree by swapping the tags on hundreds of pieces of luggage, intentionally sending them on their merry way to wrong destinations.
Or for all we know, he could be just a fall guy for a worldwide conspiracy that requires frequent sacrifices in lost baggages.
Tay Boon Keh — an employee of industrial equipment supplier Lian Cheng Contracting, which is subcontracted under the Changi Airport Group — was charged in court yesterday with 286 counts of mischief, reported The Straits Times. That’s a lot of bewildered luggage-less travelers.
It was on Nov. 8 last year that the man allegedly began his dastardly capers — he switched the tag of a Penang-bound luggage with the tag of another bag. Where the affected bags ended up was unmentioned, with no motive provided for the mischief.
Tay continued his larks nearly every day for the subsequent three months. Bags bound for cities including Hong Kong, Manila, London, and Perth ended up in elsewhere from their intended destinations. His alleged offences affected luggages of travelers flying on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Lufthansa.
Changi Airport assured The Straits Times that this was an isolated case of mischief, with no serious breach of aviation security. It has also increased CCTV coverage and patrols in the baggage handling area.
Tay intends to plead guilty to his offences, and he will return to court on Oct 17. He could face up to a year in jail and/or a fine for each of the charges if convicted — and he has 286 in total.
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