Woman flying to Bali steals eye cream at airport, shop assistant calls cops who catch her in transit area
A woman allegedly stole eye cream from a Changi Airport shop before flying to Bali but was caught in the transit area.
While browsing the Terminal 4 shop, she was observed holding on to the box of eye cream by a shop assistant on May 31.
After the woman left, the shop assistant, Ms Phung Thao Ngan, realised the woman did not pay for the item at the cashier.
Ms Phung quickly reviewed the in-house CCTV, which revealed the customer placed the eye cream into her bag and left the shop with the unpaid item.
The police were notified and the woman was eventually detained in the transit area before her departure to Bali.
She was arrested for theft in dwelling, which carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.
Police investigations revealed that the 36-year-old woman had allegedly committed theft in five other shops in the transit area within a short span of time.
On June 19, Ms Phung was presented the Public Spiritedness Award by Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC) M Malathi, Commander of Airport Police Division for assisting the police in the case.
"Airport Police would like to thank Ms Phung for her exceptional alertness and due diligence," said AC Malathi.
"By going the extra mile to check the CCTV footage and promptly alerting the police, she played a crucial role in the successful and expedient arrest of the serial shoplifter, who otherwise would have left the country."
