A 37-year-old mother of five was jailed for four months yesterday for stealing 80 tins of milk powder from supermarkets in the western part of Singapore.

Housewife Noris Ithnin pleaded guilty to six charges. Ten others were taken into consideration.

Court documents showed she committed the offences over about 1 1/2 years, including twice while out on bail. The value of the stolen milk powder was about $5,676.

On July 7, 2015, a supermarket employee saw Noris behaving suspiciously around the milk powder section at Giant Hypermarket at IMM in Jurong East.

Noris placed a few tins of milk powder into two recyclable bags, which she hung on a pram. She then walked out of the supermarket without paying for the items.

Investigations revealed she had stolen the milk powder for resale, as her family was facing financial difficulties. In a raid on the same day, police seized 10 tins of milk powder from her Jurong East flat.

On 12 occasions in February and March last year, she stole tins of milk powder from a Fairprice outlet in Clementi. While out on bail, she stole four tins at a Sheng Siong supermarket in Bukit Batok West. She placed them in a trolley and left by a side entrance. She was identified through closed-circuit television camera footage.

This case comes after police arrested a 34-year-old man on Tuesday last week for his suspected involvement in a series of milk powder thefts at supermarkets islandwide. About 200 tins worth more than $10,000 were seized from his home.

Anyone found guilty of theft in dwelling could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.