Police have arrested two Vietnamese nationals, a 47 year old woman and a 21 year old man, who are believed to be involved in a series of theft cases which occurred in shopping malls in the Central District between January 2010 to July 2010.

Since January 2010, Police have received reports from victims who discovered personal belongings missing from their bags while they were shopping in shopping malls located in the Central District area. The items stolen include wallets, mobile phones, cash, bank cards and personal documents. In the latest case, a 27 year-old female victim reported that her mobile phone was missing from her bag when she was shopping along Bugis on 8 Jul 2010 at about 7.15pm. In most of the reported cases, the victims were unaware that their belongings had been stolen and could not provide any leads to the Police. Fortunately, one of the suspects was caught in the act by CCTV cameras.

Armed with the important lead, officers from Central Police Division conducted extensive ground enquiries in a bid to apprehend the suspect. The officers' perseverance paid off on 22 Jul 2010 when they mounted a joint operation with officers from Airport Police Division and detained the two suspects at Changi Airport Terminal 1 just as they were about to leave Singapore. When checked, the duo was found with 26 mobile phones, two MP3 players, one digital camera, seven wallets, one bottle of perfume, and cash of S$1447, USD$240 and 5 Sterling Pounds which they could not account for. One of the mobile phones which was recovered was found to belong to the victim of the latest case on 8 Jul 2010.

The female suspect will be charged in Court 26 on 24 Jul 2010 for the offence of Theft from Person under Section 379 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a jail term of up to three years or with a fine if convicted. The male suspect will be charged for Fraudulent Possession of Property under Section 35(1) of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act, Chapter 184, which carries a jail term of up to one year and up to $3000 fine if convicted. A Court Order will also be sought to remand them for further investigations.

Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Tan Hung Hooi, commended the officers from Central Police Division and Airport Police Division for their excellent investigative work and good coordination leading to the arrest of the suspects. DAC Tan would also like to remind the public to be vigilant when shopping in crowded areas and to be wary of strangers who follow them too closely.