Elderly Bangladeshi tourist stole over $447 worth of cosmetics at Changi Airport

SINGAPORE: A 69-year-old Bangladeshi man was arrested last week at Changi Airport for his suspected involvement in two separate cases of shop theft within the airport’s transit area.

The police said in a statement that the second incident occurred on June 25 at The Shilla Cosmetics & Perfumes store in Terminal 3, and the man allegedly took three lipsticks and a hair serum set worth a total of $294.70 by removing the items from a display shelf and exiting the store without paying.

Officers from the Airport Police Division were alerted to the case at around 1:50 pm and, with the assistance of CCTV footage, quickly established the suspect’s identity and arrested him in the transit area within an hour. The officers prevented him from departing Singapore.

Investigators discovered that the man was also linked to an earlier incident at another Shilla outlet in Changi Airport, where he apparently stole a bottle of perfume valued at $153.10.

All five stolen items were recovered by the authorities.

The man is expected to be charged in court on July 1 with theft in dwelling, an offence which carries a jail term of up to seven years and/or a fine.

In a statement, the police emphasised that they take a serious view of shop theft cases and will not hesitate to act against offenders.

“Offenders should not think that they can evade capture by quickly boarding a flight; the police will continue to work closely with stakeholders to prevent and deter shop theft cases,” the police added.