Four Vietnamese nationals appeared in court yesterday, accused of stealing around $26,000 worth of women's clothes - the biggest haul by a shoplifting syndicate in Singapore to date.
The two men and two women allegedly stole almost 900 items - more than half of which were bras - and packed their loot inside tinfoil-lined paper bags to avoid detection by anti-theft sensors.
Duong Tuan Dat, 27, and Van Tu Nguyen, 30, and their female alleged accomplices, Tran Thi Phuong Thao, 29, and Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, 31, were each charged with one count of shoplifting.
According to court documents, they went to a Uniqlo outlet in Downtown East at around 1.30pm last Saturday and allegedly stole 50 items of winter wear worth almost $5,000.
The group was arrested after the manager of a shop in Pasir Ris Close alerted police, who studied closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage and suspected that it was more than a simple case of shop theft when they noticed the group was carrying suitcases.
Officers from Bedok Police Division arrested the four in Chin Swee Road on Sunday.
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868
Number of items allegedly stolen.
529
Number of bras among the 868 items.
Police said there were 529 bras among the 868 items stolen. Officers also seized several suitcases, pairs of pliers and hangers.
The commander of Bedok Police Division, Assistant Commissioner Tan Tin Wee, said the case "illustrates the close partnership between the police and retailers in fighting crime".
He added: "The police will not tolerate foreign crime syndicates looking to operate here. Those found doing so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
From January to June this year, there were 1,718 cases of shop theft reported.
The crime has been on a downward trend in recent years.
Last year, there were 3,800 cases of shop theft, a decrease from 3,919 cases in 2016 and 3,940 in 2015.
Police have urged retailers to remain vigilant against shoplifters and adopt measures, including installing CCTV cameras.
No bail was offered to the four, who are now remanded at Bedok Police Division.
They will be back in court on Sept 25.
Those convicted of shoplifting can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
