9 People To Be Charged Over Shop Theft Cases Across Singapore, Oldest Suspect Aged 76
Nine people aged between 22 and 76 will be charged in court on May 25 over separate shop theft cases involving supermarkets, pharmacies and retail outlets across Singapore.
According to the Singapore Police Force, the suspects were allegedly involved in multiple theft incidents at stores including NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage and Guardian.
One of the cases involved a 32-year-old man who allegedly stole a food item worth about S$2 from an NTUC FairPrice outlet in Yishun before later entering a Sheng Siong store nearby. Staff members reportedly detained him after the supermarket’s facial recognition CCTV system flagged him as a suspected offender.
Police investigations later linked the man to three earlier theft cases at the same Sheng Siong outlet involving stolen goods worth around S$153 in total.
Another case involved a 48-year-old man who allegedly walked out of a Cold Storage outlet at Compass One with a bottle of whisky worth S$52 without making payment. A member of the public reportedly stopped him before police arrived.
Sunglasses Worth Nearly S$400 Allegedly Stolen From VivoCity Store
In a separate incident, a 49-year-old man allegedly stole a pair of sunglasses worth S$388 from a Sunglass Hut outlet at VivoCity.
Police said the man had previously received a 12-month conditional warning in 2025 for another shop theft case involving stolen items worth around S$32 from a Sheng Siong outlet in Chin Swee Road. Authorities said he allegedly breached the warning after committing the new offence.
Meanwhile, a 75-year-old man is accused of stealing food items worth about S$25 from a Cold Storage outlet at Suntec City. During an attempted detention by a loss prevention officer, the elderly man allegedly pushed the officer, causing injuries after the officer hit a wall.
Police said the man will face additional charges for voluntarily causing hurt.
Other cases included a 25-year-old woman accused of stealing nearly S$923 worth of items from an NTUC FairPrice outlet in Clementi, and a 21-year-old woman allegedly linked to eight separate shop theft incidents at a Sheng Siong outlet along Clementi Avenue 1.
The total value of items allegedly stolen across the various incidents ranged from food products and alcohol to personal care items and branded eyewear.
Facial Recognition CCTV Increasingly Used To Catch Shoplifters
The Singapore Police Force highlighted that more retailers are adopting facial recognition CCTV systems and enhanced surveillance measures to combat retail crime.
Authorities noted that retailers are increasingly relying on CCTV footage to identify and report suspects even if offenders are not caught immediately at the scene.
Police also reminded retailers to remain vigilant during the mid-year school holiday season, when shopping malls and supermarkets are expected to experience heavier crowds.
Businesses were encouraged to improve store layouts, deploy more staff patrols, install CCTV systems and join the Shop Theft Awareness for Retailers (STAR) programme to strengthen anti-theft measures.
Under Section 380 of the Penal Code, theft in dwelling carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.