Couple Arrested, Accused Of Stealing From MH370 Victims

Couple Stole $35,000 From Missing Plane Victims, Police Say
A Malaysia Airlines plane prepares for landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur on July 21, 2014. Malaysia Airlines said it would offer full refunds to customers who want to cancel their tickets in the wake of the MH17 disaster, just months after the carrier suffered another blow when flight MH370 dissapeared. AFP PHOTO/ MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)
A Malaysia Airlines plane prepares for landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur on July 21, 2014. Malaysia Airlines said it would offer full refunds to customers who want to cancel their tickets in the wake of the MH17 disaster, just months after the carrier suffered another blow when flight MH370 dissapeared. AFP PHOTO/ MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Malaysian police have arrested a bank officer and her husband over allegations they stole more than $30,000 from the accounts of four passengers aboard missing flight MH370, an official said Friday.

The couple have been held in police custody since Thursday on suspicion of withdrawing 110,643 ringgit ($34,850) from the accounts of two Malaysian and two Chinese MH370 victims, said Zainuddin Ahmad, a district police chief in Kuala Lumpur.

Police are also looking for another suspect, a Pakistani man, who is believed to have received part of the money in his account through an online transfer, he added.

"We believe he is still in the country. But as to the full particulars of the case -- it's all still under investigation," Zainuddin told AFP.

Zainuddin declined to name the bank, where the woman in custody reportedly worked at for the last 10 years.

The Star daily reported that the four bank accounts were with HSBC and quoted HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd saying in a statement that the matter was referred by the bank to the police, declining further comment.

HSBC officials could not immediately be reached.

The Malaysia Airlines plane lost contact en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 with 239 people aboard and mysteriously disappeared.

The Boeing 777 is believed to have veered off course and have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean but no sign of wreckage has been found thus far.

Copyright (2014) AFP. All rights reserved.

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