Singapore to charge American man over perfume theft spree at Changi Airport

A 47-year-old man will be charged on Thursday over a series of perfume thefts at Changi Airport, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Wednesday.

The thefts date back to November last year and involved almost S$1,410 (US$1,102) worth of perfume, the police said in a news release.

SPF said it was alerted to the first theft on November 5, 2025, after a retail assistant discovered that a box of perfume was missing from a shop’s display shelf.

Closed-circuit television footage showed that the American had stolen a box of perfume valued at S$331 from the shop in Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 transit area at about 7.38pm on November 4, 2025, SPF said.

Further investigations revealed that he stole three more boxes of perfume, which were worth S$646 in total, from two shops in the Terminal 2 transit area later that day, police said.

Officers from the Airport Police Division managed to identify the man, but he had already departed Singapore, they added.

The man returned to Changi Airport for a connecting flight on the morning of April 24 this year. Preliminary investigations revealed that he stole two more boxes of perfume from two shops on this occasion, SPF said.

The first box he stole at about 7.15am was priced at S$236.90 and the second one taken around six minutes later was valued at S$195.40, police said.

The man left Singapore after the second round of alleged thefts but was arrested on September 25 while transiting through the airport again.

He will be charged on Thursday with five counts of theft in dwelling.

Those convicted of the offence face up to seven years’ jail, a fine or both.