SINGAPORE — Two Indian women, Garg Prasha and Goenka Simran, have been sentenced after pleading guilty to separate thefts committed while transiting through Singapore’s Changi Airport earlier this month.
Both travellers arrived from Kolkata, India, on 2 June and were en route to Bali with a layover at Changi Airport. During their transit, the women stole items from retail outlets but were quickly caught by airport authorities.
Garg Prasha, 30, was apprehended after stealing a black haversack valued at over S$80 from the Charles & Keith store in Terminal 2 at around 7 a.m. She had placed the bag into her luggage trolley and left the store without payment. An alert staff member noticed the theft and filed a police report. Garg was located shortly after, still carrying the stolen item in its original packaging. On 16 June, she was fined S$700 after pleading guilty to theft. Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan noted that the offence occurred less than an hour after her arrival in Singapore and that she was caught red-handed.
Goenka Simran, 29, was sentenced to eight days in jail on the same day after pleading guilty to theft in dwelling, with another similar charge considered during sentencing. Goenka, who arrived on the same flight as Garg, stole a yellow purse worth over S$300 from the Furla store at Terminal 3 around 1:40 p.m. She also admitted to taking a bottle of perfume valued at over S$200 from a cosmetics shop in Terminal 2. The judge remarked that although she was in Singapore for only 10 hours, she managed to steal goods worth more than S$500 in total.
Authorities confirmed that while Garg and Goenka knew each other, the thefts were not committed as part of a syndicate.
In Singapore, theft can lead to up to three years in prison, a fine, or both. Theft in dwelling carries a harsher penalty of up to seven years in jail and a fine.
