A 32-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment after misappropriating nearly S$40,000 from inflight sales while working as a cabin crew member.
The individual, identified as Luqman Hakim Shahfawi, was formerly employed by Scoot. His offences involved the unlawful retention of cash collected from onboard food and beverage sales across numerous flights over an extended period.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal breach of trust as an employee, with an additional similar charge taken into consideration during sentencing. The case highlights ongoing concerns surrounding internal financial controls and fraud risk management within the aviation industry.
Hundreds of Transactions Involved Over Extended Period
Court proceedings revealed that Luqman had misappropriated more than S$22,000 across 210 separate occasions between April 2024 and March 2025. These incidents occurred while he was serving both as a cabin crew member and a Complex Leader, a supervisory role responsible for overseeing inflight operations.
In addition, a further S$17,807.10 was found to have been misappropriated over 156 occasions between July 2023 and March 2024. Combined, the total sum involved reached S$39,807, representing a significant breach of financial accountability.
As part of his duties, Luqman was required to ensure that all inflight sales proceeds were properly recorded and deposited into the airline’s secure collection system within 48 hours after each flight. Instead, he failed to comply with these procedures and retained the cash for personal use.
Offences Triggered by Initial Loss and Escalated Over Time
Investigations revealed that the misconduct began after Luqman lost two cash collection bags following a flight in 2023. Rather than reporting the incident, he chose to conceal the loss.
Fearing disciplinary action, he subsequently continued to withhold cash from future inflight transactions to cover the earlier shortfall. Over time, this developed into a pattern of repeated offences spanning hundreds of instances.
Authorities also disclosed that the misappropriated funds were used to repay debts owed to unlicensed moneylenders, raising further concerns about financial vulnerability and personal debt management.
Arrest and Legal Consequences
The case came to light after a representative from Scoot lodged a police report in March 2025, following Luqman’s admission of wrongdoing. He was arrested shortly after and later released on bail pending further investigations.
Under Singapore law, criminal breach of trust by an employee carries severe penalties, including a prison sentence of up to 15 years, a fine, or both. Prosecutors emphasised that the repeated nature of the offences and the prolonged duration significantly aggravated the severity of the case.
Luqman is expected to begin serving his sentence in April. At the time of sentencing, no restitution had been made.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of corporate governance, internal audit compliance, and financial oversight systems, particularly in industries handling high volumes of cash transactions such as aviation and travel.