Singapore police have apprehended a 47-year-old American man who repeatedly stole luxury perfumes from duty-free shops inside Changi Airport, causing damages worth tens of thousands of baht. He was finally caught while transiting through the airport.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) revealed that the American man began his thefts in November 2025 after a retail employee noticed perfumes missing suspiciously from the shelves. Reviewing CCTV footage showed that the man had stolen perfumes worth 331 Singapore dollars from a shop in the departure area of Terminal 3 on the evening of 4 November 2025.
Further investigation found that on the same day, he also stole an additional three boxes of perfume valued at 646 Singapore dollars from two other shops in Terminal 2. However, he managed to evade detection and left Singapore by plane without being caught.
Then, on the morning of 24 April 2026, the American man returned to Changi Airport for another transit and repeated the theft by stealing two more boxes of perfume (valued at 236.90 and 195.40 Singapore dollars respectively) within just six minutes, before fleeing again. In total, he stole six boxes of perfume with a combined value close to 1,410 Singapore dollars, or approximately 37,000 baht.
However, since his record had been documented, airport police were able to promptly arrest him when he returned to transit at Changi Airport again on 25 September.
Reports indicate that the American man will face five counts of "theft in a dwelling or building." He is scheduled to be prosecuted in court on Thursday, 8 Oct. If found guilty, he could face up to seven years in prison, a fine, or both.
.source:channelnewsasia
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