Landing page banner

The Police have arrested a 16-year-old male Uzbekistan national and his 39-year-old mother, also an Uzbekistan national, for their involvement in separate shop theft cases committed within the transit area of Changi Airport. They will be charged in court on 16 September 2026.

On 28 August 2026 at about 6.46pm, the Police were alerted to a case of shop theft at a retail outlet in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 2. Preliminary investigations revealed that a retail assistant had discovered that three pairs of sunglasses were missing from a display shelf. A review of CCTV footage showed that at about 6.28pm, a male teenager had taken three pairs of sunglasses valued at $1,462.38 and left the store without making payment.

With the aid of CCTV footage, officers from the Airport Police Division swiftly located the male teenager together with his mother before their departure. The three pairs of sunglasses, together with other items suspected to be stolen, were recovered from them.

Further investigations revealed that the male teenager had stolen an assortment of items with a total value of $4,887.03 from six retail stores within the transit area. The woman had allegedly, in a separate incident, stolen a box of perfume valued at $149.90 from a retail store. She had also received a pair of the stolen sunglasses from her son.

The male teenager will be charged with six counts of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871. The woman will be charged with one count of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871 and one count of receiving stolen property under Section 411 of the Penal Code 1871.

The offence of theft in dwelling carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years, a fine, or both. The offence of receiving stolen property carries an imprisonment term of up to five years, a fine, or both.

The Police take a serious view of shop theft and will deal firmly with offenders in accordance with the law. Offenders should not assume that they can evade detection after committing such offences. The Police will continue to work closely with stakeholders to prevent and deter shop theft at Changi Airport.

Items stolen