American man, 47, steals perfume worth S$1,409 from Changi Airport, arrested months later during transit in S'pore

A 47-year-old American man was arrested for stealing about S$1,409 worth of perfume from retail shops in the transit area of Changi Airport.

The items were stolen in November 2025 and April 2026, the police said in a press release on Oct. 7.

The man was finally arrested on Sep. 25, 2026, during a planned operation when he transited through Changi Airport.

Stole perfumes

The police were alerted to a case of shop theft after a retail assistant noticed that a box of perfume was missing from a display shelf on Nov. 5, 2025.

The police said CCTV footage revealed that the man had taken a box of perfume valued at S$331 and left without making payment the previous day at about 7:40pm.

Further investigations revealed that he had stolen three more boxes of perfume with a total value of S$646 later that day.

They were stolen from two retail outlets in the transit area of Terminal 2.

Officers from the Airport Police Division were able to identify the man although he had already departed Singapore.

The man returned to Changi Airport for a connecting flight on Apr. 24, 2026 at about 7am.

Preliminary investigations revealed that he stole a box of perfume valued at S$236.90 from a retail outlet at about 7:15am.

He proceeded to steal another box of perfume valued at S$195.40 from a second outlet at about 7:20am.

He left without paying at both outlets and departed Singapore.

Arrested

The man was arrested by officers from the Airport Police Division on Sep. 25, 2026 during a planned operation when he transited through Changi Airport.

He was slated to be charged on Oct. 8 2026 with five counts of theft in dwelling.

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

The police reminded the public that offenders should not assume that leaving the country after committing an offence will allow them to evade the law.

They said they will continue to work closely with airport stakeholders to prevent, detect and deter shop theft at Changi Airport.