By Christine Tan for The Straits Times
Copyright tnp
While in transit at Changi Airport, a foreigner stole items such as perfumes, make-up and bags worth more than $5,000 in total from stores in the airport terminals and Jewel.
Bhansali Hemant Mahendrakumar, 38, was arrested four days later when he returned to Singapore on his way back to New Delhi, India.
On Sept 15, the Indian national was sentenced to four weeks’ jail after admitting to four counts of theft.
Nine other counts of theft and one count of fraudulent possession of property were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The businessman committed the thefts on May 28 after arriving from New Delhi at 5.15pm while waiting to board a flight to Qingdao, China, at 1.45am on May 29.
Court documents showed that within those eight hours, Mahendrakumar stole $5,136 worth of products from at least 12 different stores in three airport terminals and Jewel.
At personal care product store Guardian within Terminal 3’s departure transit hall, he stole $1,228 worth of make-up items.
State Prosecuting Officer Ghopinath Kalimuthu said Mahendrakumar’s actions were captured by the in-house closed-circuit television of those stores.
On June 1, he returned to Singapore from Qingdao, this time in transit for his flight to New Delhi that afternoon.
Police arrested him on the same day and recovered all the stolen items.
He was also found with additional jewellery and make-up products worth more than $928 and could not satisfactorily explain why he owned them.
His lawyer, Mr S. Balamurugan of Regal Law, said his client had been travelling between India and China for business.
The lawyer added that Mahendrakumar sought psychiatric help at Novena Medical Centre in August after his arrest, and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
The psychiatrist had said Mahendrakumar could not explain why he stole the items, and could only recall how depressed he was and how he was under the influence of alcohol.
Mr Balamurugan said: “My client’s decision to steal from the various shops in Jewel and Changi Airport, despite being aware of the CCTVs and potential consequences, demonstrates a level of stupidity.”
In mitigation, the lawyer pointed to Mahendrakumar’s cooperation with the police and his plea of guilt.
For each count of theft, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.
