An employee in charge of transporting luggage from aircraft to the baggage claim area has been caught plundering valuables from arriving passengers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tran Quang Du was among the employees tasked with putting checked baggage from a Hong Kong Airline flight touching down at Tan Son Nhat onto the carousel after midnight on Tuesday, when he saw one suitcase with a small opening, exposing a Samsung smartphone inside.

The 20-year-old stole the phone and snatched a Blackberry after rummaging through an unlocked valise.

At 2:00 am, when his shift ended, Du hid the two devices inside his jacket and attempted to leave.

However, airport security officers detected the hidden phones and arrested Du, handing him to police.

Du, hailing from the north-central province of Nghe An, works for Vigas Tan Son Nhat, a private contractor for ground services at Tan Son Nhat.

The dishonest employee has confessed to his theft and is being held by the airport’s police unit.