8 Vietnamese Nationals, who are believed to be part of a shop theft syndicate responsible for a series of shop theft cases committed at various shopping centres in Singapore, were caught red handed by hawk-eyed Police officers who were lying in wait for them yesterday afternoon.

On 29 June 2010 at about 2.30 pm, officers from Tanglin Police Division mounted an operation against the suspects in the vicinity of Orchard Road following extensive investigations and checks after a spate of shop theft cases in the area. Efforts by the Police paid off when the officers spotted the group, consisting of 4 men and 4 women, behaving suspiciously outside a shopping centre located along Orchard Road at about 3.30 pm. One of the male suspects was seen loitering outside the building while his accomplices entered the building to begin their crime spree. Discreet surveillances were conducted simultaneously on all eight suspects and they were observed to have committed shop theft at various retail outlets by distracting the sales staff. After committing the crime, they were seen coming out of the said shopping centre periodically to hand over their loot to the suspect who was waiting outside the building. The suspect who received the loot would then keep the items into a haversack he was carrying.

Having gathered sufficient evidence, Police officers moved in swiftly and arrested all eight suspects in one fell swoop at an opportune time. Stolen items such as branded apparel and handbags were successfully recovered from them on the spot. Improvised bags with aluminum foil inlays which were used to facilitate the thefts were also seized from them. More similar stolen goods were subsequently recovered from a unit in Geylang which the suspects were putting up at following a raid. In total, Police managed to recover stolen items with a total retail value of about $41,000/- from the suspects. Investigations revealed that the suspects were also believed to be involved in similar cases at shopping centres in other parts of Singapore .

Commander of Tanglin Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Koh Yak Leng commended the officers involved for their well-coordinated efforts and excellent teamwork leading to the arrests and recovery of a substantial amount of stolen goods . He would like to take this opportunity to remind retailers and members of the public to remain vigilant during the Great Singapore Sale period. He also stressed that Police will not hesitate to track down those inclined to commit such offences and deal with them severely.

The 8 suspects, who are aged between 23 and 40 years old, will be charged in Court on 1 July 2010 for offences of Theft in Dwelling (Shop Theft) with common intention. If convicted, they shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 7 years, and shall also be liable to fine.