Woman allegedly steals Swarovski bracelet from Changi Airport shop, CCTV leads police to her

A 38-year-old female Chinese national was arrested on Sept 26 for allegedly stealing a bracelet from a retail outlet in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 3.

Police said in a news release on Monday (Oct 12) that they were alerted to the incident at a Swarovski outlet in the departure transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 3 at about 1.15am that day.

The theft was discovered after a retail assistant discovered that a bracelet worth $255.95 was missing from a display shelf.

CCTV footage allegedly showed the woman taking the bracelet from the display shelf and leaving the outlet without paying for it.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of CCTV images, officers from the Airport Police Division established her identity and arrested her before her departure.

The stolen bracelet was subsequently recovered from her possession, police said.

The 38-year-old will be charged in court on Tuesday with the offence of theft in dwelling.

If found guilty of the said offence, she could be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.

The police also warned would-be perpetrators that they take a serious view of shop theft cases, adding that the prevalence of CCTV cameras with facial recognition technology has allowed retailers to better detect offenders at their outlets.

Retailers are also increasingly leveraging on CCTV footage to lodge reports against shoplifters, even when immediate apprehension is not possible, the police noted.

"This serves as a significant deterrent — even if offenders manage to evade detection at the time of the offence.

"CCTV evidence greatly increases the likelihood of their eventual identification, and they will face the full brunt of the law," the police added.

Last week, a 47-year-old American was charged in court for alleged theft cases that took place in November 2025 and April this year .

In that instance, the man was arrested in a planned operation on Sept 25, when he transited through Singapore again.

9月26日，一名38岁的中国籍女子因涉嫌在樟宜机场3号航站楼转机区的零售店偷窃一条手链而被捕。

警方在周一（10 月 12 日）发布的新闻稿中表示，当天凌晨 1 点 15 分左右，他们接到报警称樟宜机场 3 号航站楼出发中转区的施华洛世奇专卖店发生一起事件。

一名零售助理发现货架上少了一条价值 255.95 美元的手链，盗窃案由此被发现。

监控录像显示，该女子从展示架上取下手镯，未付款便离开了商店。

通过实地调查和借助闭路电视录像，机场警察部门的警员确认了她的身份，并在她离境前将其逮捕。

警方称，被盗的手镯随后在她身上被找回。

这名38岁的男子将于周二在法庭上被控犯有入室盗窃罪。

如果被判犯有上述罪行，她可能被判处最高七年监禁、罚款或两者并罚。

警方还警告潜在的犯罪分子，他们对商店盗窃案件非常重视，并补充说，配备人脸识别技术的闭路电视摄像头的普及使零售商能够更好地在其门店中发现犯罪分子。

警方指出，零售商也越来越多地利用闭路电视录像来举报商店扒手，即使无法立即抓获扒手。

“即使犯罪分子在犯罪时设法逃脱了侦查，这也起到了很大的威慑作用。”

警方补充说：“监控录像证据大大增加了最终确认其身份的可能性，他们将受到法律的严惩。”

上周，一名 47 岁的美国男子因涉嫌在 2025 年 11 月和今年 4 月发生的盗窃案被起诉。

那次事件中，该男子于 9 月 25 日再次经新加坡转机时，在一次有计划的行动中被捕。