Air France hostess arrested after ‘mile-high’ thefts

MELBOURNE - An Air France flight attendant has been arrested after she confessed to stealing jewellery and cash from hand luggage of passengers while they were sleeping.

According to French newspaper Le Figaro, the 47-year-old stewardess, referred to as Lucie R., was arrested at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport after a six-month long investigation.

The stewardess is said to have committed the crime in mid-air on 142 long haul business-class flights between France and Asia, and she had done it just to solve her money problems.

The police were alerted to the thefts after five passengers on a flight to Tokyo lost the equivalent of around 10,000 dollars in foreign currency.

“The Japanese were ideal prey because they travel with lots of cash - euros and yen - instead of paying with credit cards,” News.com.au quoted a police source as saying.

An investigation followed the complaints, with detectives crosschecking cabin crew rosters with further theft reports.

The police say Lucie R. confessed to 26 separate thefts, though they believe she has committed dozens more ever since she started stealing in March 2009.

“Her bank accounts showed an absurd gap between her lifestyle and her declared income,” the police revealed.

They also found she had a bank safe-deposit box full of jewellery as well as credit cards, cash, blank cheques and travellers’ cheques at her home.

Lucie R., who is reported to have worked mainly in business class, could, if convicted, end up facing 10 years in prison. (ANI)