Australian to face charges over $2,000 luxury goods theft at Singapore Changi Airport

Police said the 45-year-old was arrested on the evening of Sept. 2 when a retail assistant noticed a missing pair of sunglasses and reviewed CCTV footage, The Straits Times reported. The video allegedly showed the man taking the item without payment.

Investigators later uncovered that the suspect had allegedly taken items from at least eight different outlets, with the haul totaling more than S$2,600 (US$2,010). The recovered goods included designer sunglasses, bags, a piece of luggage, a passport case, keychains, accessories and even a water bottle, CNA reported.

Singapore's police said offenders should not assume they can evade detection by committing crimes in the airport and then trying to leave the country quickly, noting that Changi is equipped with extensive surveillance and strict enforcement.

The case follows another recent shoplifting incident at the airport involving two Italian swimmers, who were caught on camera in August taking perfumes worth about S$150. Both were given a 12-month conditional warning and banned from re-entering Singapore.