June 4, 2026

Scoot Airline Employee Pilfers $31K from In-Flight Sales: A High-Flying Heist Unravelled

E190 E2 Scoot Airlines 1
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A cabin crew member of Scoot, a low-cost airline based in Singapore, has been found guilty of misappropriating nearly SGD40,000 (approximately US$31,000) from the sales of food and beverages on the airline over the course of almost two years, as revealed by court documents.

Criminal Breach of Trust

Luqman Hakim Shahfawi, aged 31, had been serving as a complex leader, a high-ranking role within the cabin crew responsible for supervising inflight operations. Shahfawi admitted his guilt to one charge of criminal breach of trust, which pertained to over SGD22,000. The court is set to consider a second charge concerning the remaining sum of nearly SGD18,000 during the sentencing on February 3.

Beginning of Misdeeds

The court found that Shahfawi’s fraudulent actions commenced after he unintentionally lost two bags filled with cash from inflight food and beverage sales. Fearful of being found out by his superiors, he decided to retain the money when the initial loss went unnoticed.

As a complex leader, Shahfawi was tasked with reconciling the items sold with the sales proceeds and logging this information into Scoot’s system at the conclusion of each flight. He was also responsible for delivering the cash bag to Scoot’s office and depositing it in a safe within 48 hours.

Escalation of Fraud

When Shahfawi lost two cash bags in 2023, he failed to report the losses to his superiors. He subsequently decided to keep the bags and the cash they contained, after all his flights, out of fear that his superiors would discover he lost the initial two bags.

From July 2023 to March 2025, Shahfawi committed a total of 366 offenses. Investigation revealed that he utilized the stolen funds to repay debts he owed to unlicensed moneylenders. He confessed his actions to the company and was arrested in March 2025.

Questions & Answers

What was the role of the accused?
Luqman Hakim Shahfawi served as a complex leader with Scoot, a role that involves supervising inflight operations.

What led to Shahfawi’s fraudulent actions?
Shahfawi’s fraudulent actions began after he misplaced two bags of cash from inflight sales and kept the money when the loss went unnoticed.

What happened after his misdeeds were discovered?
Shahfawi confessed to the company and was subsequently arrested in March 2025.

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