Two Indians fined SGD 5,500 for shoplifting from Changi Airport retail outlets before departure

Two Indians have been fined SGD 5,500 within the past month for shoplifting from retail outlets in the transit area of Singapore’s Changi International Airport. Details have been released this week by the Singapore Police Force.

On July 5, 2024, an Indian male national, Anugrah Masih, 32, was convicted for theft and fined SGD 4,500.

An Indian female national, Stanly Martina Sonakashi, 31, was convicted for receiving stolen property and fined SGD 1,000.

The two were fined for their involvement in a series of shoplifting cases at Changi Airport.

On June 24, 2024, the police were alerted to a case of theft after a backpack worth more than SGD 180 was discovered missing from a retail outlet located in the transit area of Changi Airport.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from closed-circuit television (CCTV), officers from the Airport Police Division quickly established the identity of the duo and arrested them before they departed from Singapore.

Further investigations revealed that the duo was involved in the theft of perfumes amounting to more than SGD 360 from two other outlets in the Changi Airport transit area on the same day.

Commander of the Airport Police Division, AC M Malathi said, “The quick action of the staff member in checking the CCTV footage and promptly alerting the police played a crucial role in the successful and expedient arrest of the shoplifters.”

She said, “Credit also goes to the responding officers for their keen observation skills and good ground knowledge that led to the quick arrest of the subjects, who otherwise would have left the country. We will not allow the perception that persons who commit shop theft at the transit areas will get away with their crime by taking the next flight out of Singapore.”