Boy, 16 & his mum, 39, both Uzbekistan nationals, arrested for stealing from Changi Airport shops, S$5,000 worth of items recovered

The police have arrested a male teenager, 16, and his mother, 39, both Uzbekistan nationals, for their involvement in separate shop theft cases committed within the transit area of Changi Airport.

They will be charged in court on Sep. 16, 2026.

The police were alerted to a case of shop theft at a retail outlet in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 2 on Aug. 28, 2026, at about 6:46pm.

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 S$1,462.38 and left the store without making payment.

Officers from the Airport Police Division located the male teenager together with his mother with the aid of CCTV footage 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 teenager had stolen an assortment of items worth S$4,887.03 from six retail stores within the transit area.

The woman had allegedly, in a separate incident, stolen a box of perfume worth S$149.90 from a retail store.

She had also received a pair of the stolen sunglasses from her son.

The teenager will be charged with six counts of theft in dwelling under.

The woman will be charged with one count of theft in dwelling and one count of receiving stolen property.

The offence of theft in dwelling is punishable with a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.

The offence of receiving stolen property is punishable with a jail term of up to five years, a fine, or both.