SINGAPORE, Oct 9 — A woman was jailed for a week after shoplifting at a Sheng Siong supermarket outlet on 12 separate occasions in a span of four months.
Leong Seek Yuen, 45, was finally caught on October 1, 2025, thanks to a facial recognition CCTV system deployed at the store, which sent out an alert to a staff member when it detected Leong's entry that day.
The Singaporean woman was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty to theft.
Between May 27 and August 12, 2025, Leong stole meat products and beverages from the same Sheng Siong outlet in Sin Ming Avenue.
The court heard that Leong utilised the self-checkout kiosk during each shopping trip, reported The Straits Times.
Without cashier assistance, she could avoid scanning some items.
On September 29, 2025, the store's assistant supervisor reportedly found that stocks did not tally and checked CCTV footage. When Leong entered the supermarket again on October 1, he called the police.
Leong has since made full restitution for the stolen groceries, worth about S$90 (RM290) in total.
Her defence lawyer also said she had been diagnosed with a form of depressive disorder, according to The Straits Times.
Sheng Siong had said in August 2025 that it will implement its artificial intelligence facial recognition CCTV system in all outlets, reported CNA.
They have been using facial recognition technology since April 2024.
Theft suspects captured on CCTV footage will have their photographs uploaded in the system. Once they enter any Sheng Siong store again, an app pushes out an alert to staff.
These suspects are typically identified only after they leave the store with unpaid items. — AsiaOne
