Skip to main content

Guilty of loving the iPhone 7: Two Singaporeans buy plane tickets to get iPhones, get arrested

Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Normally, if you buy airline tickets, you use them to actually go somewhere while sitting inside of an airplane. However, a pair of Singapore residents decided to use their airline tickets for other means, and that landed them in big trouble, reports the BBC.

It’s been difficult to get the iPhone 7 in Singapore, since it sold out there within days of its initial release. Not helping matters is the fact that there is no Apple Store in the city-state, forcing residents to either go online or to a reseller. As it happens, there is a reseller in Changi Airport, which is where our two Singaporeans come in.

The duo not only wanted to skip the lines, but also to save some money, and the reseller in the airport met both criteria. The pair bought plane tickets for the sole purpose of buying the iPhone 7, thinking they could thereafter get their ticket prices refunded. Unfortunately for them, the authorities caught wind of their actions and arrested them.

The problem is that they had no intention of flying anywhere, and thus were misusing their boarding passes. They were accordingly charged with violation of the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act. If convicted, they face up to 1,000 Singapore dollars ($735) in fines or up to two years in jail, though the investigation is ongoing. The Singapore police department also issued a warning through its Facebook page, saying that 15 people have been arrested under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act since January.

Yes, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are excellent phones that those in the market for a smartphone should definitely consider, but we are not sure they are worth a possible prison sentence or fine that costs as much as the base iPhone 7 here in the U.S.

Editors' Recommendations

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
Something important just happened to the iPhone 16 series
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max larger displays.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max renders MacRumors

With  the calendar about to turn to June, attention on the upcoming iPhone 16 series will soon shift into an even higher gear. Along those lines, word is that production on a critical component for at least three of these phones is about to begin.

Read more
Can a $500 Pixel phone beat a $1,000 iPhone in a camera test? I found out
iPhone 15 Pro (left) and Google Pixel 8a camera modules.

Right before Google I/O 2024, Google showed off the latest Pixel device, the Google Pixel 8a. This is the latest offering from the Pixel A-series, which is a more budget-friendly Pixel for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles of the flagship Pixel 8 or 8 Pro.

The Pixel 8a features a new design with more rounded corners and a matte-finish back. It packs Google’s latest silicon, the Tensor G3, but the camera hardware remains unchanged from its predecessor, the Pixel 7a.

Read more
Arc Search, one of the best iPhone apps right now, just got even better
Arc Search's Call Arc feature.

One of our favorite iPhone browser apps has just introduced an interesting new feature. Arc Search’s new "Call Arc" tool functions similarly to making a phone call on your iPhone 15 Pro or other iPhone. Instead of speaking to someone on the other end of the line, though, you ask Arc to answer your queries. The outcome is fresh and unique, and it actually works really well.

Before its latest software update, Arc Search already offered a voice search feature. The AI-powered Call Arc is different and designed for people on the go who are looking for quick answers to short questions.

Read more