A woman flying out of JFK almost made off with $5,600 in stolen cash Sunday morning before she was arrested on a plane set for takeoff, investigators say.
According to Port Authority police, 61-year-old Nadira Mallik, a Bangladeshi national, swiped $4,300 in U.S. currency and $1,300 in Chinese Yen out of a security screening tray belonging to a 60-year-old Chinese man, and then stuffed some of the money into a Cheerios box inside her carry-on bag, boarded her Air Emirates flight, and put the stolen cash in an overhead compartment.
The theft was quickly reported, and after reviewing security footage, police officers boarded Mallik's flight and located the stolen cash.
The money was returned to the victim, and Mallik was arrested. Port Authority Police spokesperson Joe Pentangelo confirmed she has been charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
“She asked if she could just simply give the money back,” Pentangelo told the News.
