21st September 2023 – (Manila) At Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines, a female security officer was caught stealing US$300 (approximately HK$2,340) from a Chinese tourist. When confronted by the victim, she resorted to desperate measures and attempted to swallow the stolen banknotes in a bid to destroy the evidence. The entire incident was captured on the airport’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, leading to an official investigation by the local airport management.
According to the investigation report, the incident occurred on the evening of the 8th of this month, around 8pm. The victim, Mr. Cai, was passing through the final security checkpoint in the Departure area of Terminal 1. He placed his shoulder bag on the tray for X-ray inspection. The female security officer in question took the tray with the bag and placed it on the table for examination. After completing the inspection, she quickly turned around, seemingly holding an object in her left hand. She swiftly put the item into her pocket and returned to the inspection table. It was at this point that Mr. Cai noticed that his bag had been tampered with. Upon opening his wallet, he discovered that some of the banknotes were missing. He immediately questioned several individuals present at the scene, including the female security officer.
The airport authorities reviewed the CCTV footage from another angle in the early hours of the following day and made a startling revelation. After the incident, an X-ray machine operator handed a bottle of water to the implicated female security officer. Upon receiving the water, she turned around and proceeded to swallow the rolled-up US dollar banknotes discreetly. Soon after, her supervisor approached her and engaged in a conversation, seemingly to ensure that the banknotes had been successfully swallowed, eliminating all traces of evidence. The airport authorities attempted to contact Mr. Cai, but he declined to press criminal charges against the female security officer. He has since left Manila and has not been in contact with the airport authorities.