This is the dramatic moment chaos erupted on a flight to Singapore when passengers confronted a suspected hand luggage thief.

Keigen Star was onboard the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET639 waiting for take-off when he noticed a flier behaving suspiciously on July 28.

The tourist said he watched as a fellow passenger grabbed two different bags from the overhead compartment while the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was still on the tarmac in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Footage shows the suspect casually taking out a black backpack from the hat rack. After successfully retrieving the item, he moved to a different seat to allegedly grab another piece of luggage.

This prompted the filmer and his mother to alert the Ethiopian Airlines cabin crew about the nervous-looking man who kept reportedly moving seats.

A flight attendant can be seen discreetly identifying him without his knowledge.

Moments later, after the concerned witness showed the video evidence to the ground staff, they confronted the suspect thief.

The filmer said: 'He tried to explain that he mistakenly took another passenger's bag, but the police were called in.

'The ground staff told the police there was video evidence, and other passengers also witnessed him taking a bag that did not belong to him.'

The suspect was frogmarched off the plane and detained for questioning at the airport.

Keigen added: 'The Ethiopian Airlines cabin crew were very professional.

The airline ground staff in green shirts came onboard to assist, but they were unsure of the situation as it's sensitive to accuse a paying passenger of stealing.

'I showed them the video of him taking the bag and the ground staff confronted the man. When confronted, he had someone else's bag on him, so they were convinced he was a thief.

'Other passengers also informed the ground staff they witnessed his actions. The thief tried to explain he had mistakenly taken another passenger's bag but the police were called in.

'The ground staff told the police there was video evidence and he and other passengers witnessed the man take a bag not belonging to him.

'Eventually, he was escorted off the plane. The ground staff asked me for my videos which I sent to him via WhatsApp after the flight. Over a WhatsApp chat, the ground staff told me the videos were all they needed and they had witnesses.'

Airlines have seen a worrying rise in the number of mile-high thefts.

In July, footage captured furious passengers attacking a thief who was allegedly caught stealing cash from luggage in the overhead compartment.

The Chinese flier was said to have rummaged through bags to grab passports and money when Thai Airways flight TG600 had just landed in Hong Kong on July 21.

Passengers were kept on the plane for an hour before Hong Kong police boarded and frogmarched the suspect away.

Locals in Bangkok warned they had experienced similar problems while flying on Thai Air. They warned that gangs of Chinese thieves operate in groups of five or six people.

They said one person will remove bags from the overhead compartments and go to the restroom to remove valuable items before handing them to another gang member.

This way, the one who initially took the bag will have nothing on him when searched. The method allows them to avoid getting caught by officers, as nothing is found during searches.

Other alleged victims said the thefts happen throughout the month.

In one social media group called Hong Kong Mode, it was claimed that fights between Bangkok and Hong Kong are targeted because of the number of wealthy passengers carrying designer items and cash.

Another alleged victim claimed him and his daughter had their cash stolen during flight TG 602 on July 16.