Australian woman arrested on return to Singapore five weeks after alleged perfume theft at Changi

A 21-year-old Australian woman was arrested at Changi Airport this month over the alleged theft of a box of perfume worth S$312.80 (US$242) from a duty-free shop in Terminal 1 five weeks earlier. Retail staff at The Shilla Duty Free outlet in the Terminal 1 departure transit area found the box missing from a display shelf at about 11:30 p.m. on June 11. Police were alerted at about 12:05 a.m. the next day, the Singapore Police Force said on July 23.CCTV footage showed the woman taking the item and leaving without paying, police said. She had left the country by the time officers established her identity, and was arrested when she flew back in on July 18, Mothership reported.She was arrested upon returning on July 18 and charged on July 24 with theft in dwelling under the penal code, Must Share News reported. If convicted, she could be jailed for up to seven years. Police did not name her. People look at a Singapore Airlines plane at a viewing gallery of the Changi Airport in Singapore, Oct. 12, 2020. Photo by Reuters The Shilla Duty Free, a South Korean travel retailer and Samsung affiliate, has held Changi's perfumes and cosmetics concession since the airport's 2014 tender and operates more than 20 beauty stores across the four terminals.Previously, police arrested a 35-year-old Australian woman in April 2025 when she returned to Singapore two years after allegedly taking a S$248 bottle of perfume from the same Shilla store in Terminal 1.An 82-year-old Australian man was arrested in July 2025 on a transit stop, four months after two alleged thefts from a Shilla outlet in the same terminal.Singapore recorded 4,109 shop theft cases in 2025, down 3% from 2024, according to the SPF's Annual Crime Brief. Most occurred at supermarkets, beauty shops, personal care outlets and health and wellness stores, and more than half involved goods worth under S$50.