Aaj Ki Janta

Singapore – April 13, 2025:
A 35-year-old Australian woman was fined $750 after pleading guilty to stealing a bottle of Chanel perfume worth nearly $250 from The Shilla Duty Free store at Changi Airport in 2023. The theft, which remained unresolved for two years, came to light again when the woman, Raj Varsha, returned to Singapore and was detained at the airport.

The incident occurred in the early hours of March 22, 2023. Raj, traveling with her family from Australia, entered the departure transit area at Terminal 1. According to State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Zakir Hussain, she was seen on CCTV taking the high-end fragrance and hiding it in her bag. Upon realizing that the theft had been noticed, she exited the store without paying and boarded a flight to Thailand with her family around 9:10am the same day.

The Shilla Duty Free staff, alerted by a security officer about the missing item, quickly reviewed surveillance footage and informed the Airport Police Division. Despite her departure, authorities preserved the evidence for potential future action.

Raj was detained when she returned to Singapore on March 31, 2025, and promptly admitted to the offence during investigations. She also revealed that she had gifted the stolen perfume to her mother.

Appearing unrepresented in court before District Judge A. Sangeetha on April 11, Raj broke down in tears as she issued a heartfelt apology. “I take full responsibility for what I have done and I’m very sorry. I’ve never had any issues with the law before… I wasn’t thinking straight and was not in the right frame of mind,” she said.

She has since made full restitution to the duty-free store for the stolen perfume. The judge imposed a $750 fine in view of her remorse, clean record, and cooperation during the proceedings.