3 foreigners nabbed for stealing items from Changi Airport shops including TWG tea and Tomica cars

Three foreign nationals will be charged in court for their suspected involvement in two cases of shop theft involving items such as jewellery and toys at Changi Airport.

Both cases of shop theft occurred in April, with one involving a 60-year-old male French national and the second involving two female Indian nationals, aged 59 and 61, according to a press release by the police on Monday (May 4).

The first case involving the French national occurred at a retail outlet in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 1 on April 22 at around 2.40pm.

A retail assistant at the store had noticed a pair of sunglasses missing from the display shelf and alerted the police.

Officers from the Airport Police Division managed to establish the identity of the man through ground enquiries and CCTV footage, and arrested him before his flight departed. 

The CCTV footage showed that the man had taken a pair of sunglasses valued at $751.38 and left the store without making payment. 

Officers managed to recover the stolen pair of sunglasses in addition to two stolen cans of tea valued at $69.49 from TWG Tea.

The second case involving two Indian nationals happened at the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 3 on April 23 at around 7.10am.

Preliminary investigations revealed that a retail assistant had noticed three bracelets and three bangles missing from the display shelf.

CCTV footage showed that the two women had taken the missing items, in addition to two rings and one watch, while the retail assistant was serving another customer.

The nine items had a total value of $2,738.52, and they were seen leaving the store without making payment. 

Investigations also revealed that the women had earlier stolen two Tomica toy cars and one keychain valued at $32.66 from another retail store.

Police officers arrested both women before their departures and recovered the stolen items. 

All three suspects will be charged in court on Tuesday with theft in dwelling. If convicted, they face a maximum jail term of seven years, a fine or both.

The French national will also face an an additional charge of fraudulent possession of property. If found guilty, he faces a jail term of up to one year, a fine of up to $3,000, or both.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com