Magistrate Bukhori Ruslan meted out the punishment after considering various factors, including the guilty pleas of two of the accused, which helped save prosecution costs and court time, as well as the seriousness of the offence.

The trio were also ordered to pay compensation of RM7,622, or serve another three months in jail if they fail to do so.

Zhou Jiang, Huang Yang and Hu Hairong, all in their 50s, were charged under Sections 379 and 34 of the Penal Code for theft, which provide for a prison sentence of up to seven years, a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Based on the evidence presented, they had stolen from the bags of Japanese nationals at KLIA Terminal 1 at about 6pm on Oct 21.

Zhou Jiang was also charged under Section 379 of the Penal Code with using a stolen credit card to buy 13 packets of cigarettes.

He was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay compensation of RM215.90, or serve another month.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nur ‘Ain Madihah Zulkifli. The three accused were represented by lawyer Eryanie Abdul Rahim.