Australian woman fined for stealing Chanel perfume from airport duty-free store after two years
Singapore: A 35-year-old Australian national, Raj Varsha, was fined $750 by a Singapore court on April 11 after pleading guilty to stealing a bottle of Chanel perfume valued at nearly $250 from a duty-free store at Changi Airport in March 2023.
According to court proceedings, the incident occurred at around 4:10 a.m. on March 22, 2023, when Varsha entered The Shilla Duty Free store located in the Terminal 1 departure transit area.
State Prosecuting Officer Zakir Hussain informed the court that Varsha had concealed the perfume bottle in her bag and exited the store without making payment.
Security personnel, upon noticing the missing item, alerted store employees. CCTV footage confirmed the theft, after which the store supervisor notified the Airport Police Division. Varsha departed for Thailand with her family at approximately 9:10 a.m. on the same day.
She was detained on March 31, 2025, upon re-entering Singapore. During investigations, Varsha admitted to the theft and stated that she had given the stolen item to her mother as a gift.
In court, Varsha, who did not have legal representation, expressed remorse and apologized for her actions. She told District Judge A. Sangeetha that she accepted full responsibility and had no prior legal infractions. Full restitution for the stolen item has since been made to the store.
Under Singapore law, theft is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years, a fine, or both.
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At UN, India flags concerns over targeting of vessels in Strait of Hormuz
United Nations (PTI): Targeting commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is "unacceptable", India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Parvathaneni Harish has said.
Harish's remarks at a special meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC) on safeguarding energy and supply flows came days after an India-flagged commercial vessel came under attack off the coast of Oman.
Omani authorities rescued all 14 crew members of the vessel sailing from Somalia, but it was not immediately known who carried out the strike.
In a post on X on Sunday, Harish said that at the UNECOSOC meeting, he shared India's approach to the recent energy and fertiliser crisis caused by the West Asia conflict.
"A combination of short-term and structural measures alongside international cooperation are essential to respond to the crisis," he said.
"Reiterated that targeting of commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, are unacceptable. International law in this regard must be fully respected," he added.
The attack on the India-flagged vessel on May 13 took place amid the fragile situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies pass.
It has been severely disrupted by the conflict in West Asia that started on February 28, with the US and Israel launching joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes.
Earlier, India had described the attack as "unacceptable".
At least two other Indian-flagged ships have been attacked since the conflict broke out.
According to the UNECOSOC website, the meeting, which took place on Friday, focused on “Safeguarding energy and supply flows: Supporting global development through international cooperation”.
