Australian woman, 21, allegedly steals S$312 perfume from Changi Airport shop, comes back a month later, gets arrested

The police have arrested a 21-year-old Australian woman for her involvement in a case of shop theft committed in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 1.

On Jun. 12, 2026 at about 12:05am, the police were alerted to a case of shop theft at The Shilla Duty Free outlet located in the departure transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 1.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the retail staff had discovered a missing box of perfume, valued at S$312.80, from the display shelf on Jun. 11 at about 11:30pm.

Surveillance footage showed the woman taking the item from the display shelf and leaving the shop without making payment.

The woman’s identity was later established and she was arrested upon her return to Singapore on Jul. 18.

The woman was slated to be charged in court on Jul. 24 with the offence of theft in dwelling.

The offence carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.

The police said retailers are increasingly leveraging surveillance footage to lodge police reports against shoplifters, even when immediate apprehension is not possible.

"This serves as a significant deterrent – even if offenders manage to evade detection at the time of the offence," the police said.

Such evidence greatly increases the likelihood of their eventual identification, and they will face the full brunt of the law, the police added.