Under Singapore law, theft in a building can carry a jail sentence of up to seven years, a fine, or both, according to The Straits Times.
The first case dates back to Nov. 19, 2025, when police were alerted at around 6:45 p.m. after a shop assistant at a store in the transit area of Terminal 2 noticed that two boxes of perfume were missing from a display.
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Changi Airport, crowned the world’s best airport at the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards. Photo by AFP |
CCTV footage showed the Australian man taking the perfumes, valued at about S$430 (US$340), at around 4:50 p.m. and leaving the store without paying.
He had already departed Singapore by the time police identified him. More than eight months later, officers arrested him on Aug. 4 when he passed through Changi Airport, named the world’s best airport at the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards, while in transit.
The second incident occurred on Aug. 5. Police received a report at about 1:25 a.m. after an employee at a Terminal 1 transit-area shop discovered that a box of perfume had disappeared, AsiaOne reported.
Security footage showed the American man taking the perfume, worth more than S$310, at around 12:40 a.m. and leaving without paying. Police arrested him before he could board his flight.
Investigators later reviewed more CCTV footage and found that the man had allegedly taken additional items from two other stores in the transit area. These included a box of perfumes worth about S$170 and a perfume tester valued at more than S$230.
Police recovered all three items, which were worth more than S$717 in total.
Assistant Commissioner of Police M. Malathi said on Aug. 16 that authorities treat shoplifting seriously and that offenders should expect to be held accountable.