Uzbek mother-son duo arrested for allegedly stealing about S$5,000 worth of items from Changi Airport shops

SINGAPORE: Two Uzbekistan nationals, a mother and son, have been arrested for allegedly stealing about S$5,000 worth of items from multiple shops in Changi Airport’s transit area, the police said on Tuesday (Sep 15).

They will be charged in court on Wednesday.

The police said that they were alerted to a case of shop theft at a retail outlet in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 6.46pm on Aug 28. 

A retail assistant discovered that three pairs of sunglasses were missing from a display shelf, according to preliminary investigations.

CCTV footage showed a male teenager taking the sunglasses at around 6.28pm and leaving the store without paying. The sunglasses are valued at about S$1,460.

Officers from the Airport Police Division located the teenager and his mother before they departed Singapore. The three pairs of sunglasses were recovered, along with other items suspected to have been stolen.

Further investigations found that the 16-year-old boy allegedly stole various items worth more than S$4,800 from six shops within the transit area.

His mother, 39, is accused of separately stealing a box of perfume worth S$149.90. She had also allegedly received a pair of stolen sunglasses from her son.

The teenager will be charged with six counts of theft in dwelling, while his mother will be charged with one count of theft in dwelling and another of receiving stolen property.

“The police take a serious view of shop theft and will deal firmly with offenders in accordance with the law,” it said.

Those convicted of theft in dwelling face up to seven years’ jail, a fine or both. Receiving stolen property carries a jail term of up to five years, a fine or both.