Four Vietnamese charged for shop thefts across Singapore
Four Vietnamese who allegedly stole more than 800 items from shops all over Singapore were charged in the State Courts on Tuesday (18 September).
Comprising two men and two women, the Vietnamese, aged 26 to 31, were arrested on Sunday after police were alerted by a store manager the day before that items had been stolen from a retail outlet along Pasir Ris Close.
Van Tu Nguyen, 30, Tran Thi Phuong Thoa, 29, Duong Tuan Dat, 27, and Nguyan Thi Thu Huong, 31, were each charged with one count of theft in dwelling with common intention at a Uniqlo shop at Downtown East in Pasir Ris. Their charge sheets state that they stole 50 pieces of winter apparel valued at $4,995 on 15 September around 1.30pm.
The police were alerted to the theft at 3.13pm that day, after a store manager noticed that the items were missing.
The police established the identities of the four and arrested them along Chin Swee Road the next day. More than 800 items, including branded apparel, were recovered. The police estimated the items to be worth about $26,000.
Police said investigations revealed that the four are part of a foreign crime syndicate and had stolen from numerous retail outlets island-wide.
Theft in dwelling carries a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.
