SINGAPORE — A woman who repeatedly stole groceries from a Sheng Siong supermarket was sentenced to a week in jail after the retailer’s facial recognition CCTV system helped identify her following 12 shoplifting incidents.
Leong Seek Yuen was caught after returning to the same outlet on Oct. 1, 2025, months after she allegedly began stealing items from the supermarket between May and August that year.
The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to a theft charge and was sentenced on Oct. 8, 2026, according to The Straits Times. She had made full restitution for the stolen items.
Facial recognition alert led to her arrest
The thefts took place at the same Sheng Siong supermarket over several months.
After the incidents were discovered, staff reviewed security camera footage to identify the woman. Her face was subsequently flagged in the supermarket’s facial recognition system.
When Leong returned to the outlet on Oct. 1, 2025, the system alerted staff, who detained her before she was arrested.
The technology allows store managers to receive alerts when people previously identified in suspected shoplifting cases return to a Sheng Siong outlet. Staff can then monitor the individual and intervene if further theft is suspected.
Sheng Siong expands anti-theft technology
Sheng Siong began introducing facial recognition CCTV at selected outlets in April 2024 before expanding the system across its stores in 2025.
The retailer said the technology was intended to help curb shop theft. It works alongside conventional security footage and staff checks, rather than independently determining whether a person has committed an offence.
The rollout came amid an increase in reported shop theft cases in Singapore. Police recorded 2,097 cases in the first half of 2025, up from 2,013 during the same period in 2024.
A separate case involving stolen wine
Leong’s case follows another incident involving Sheng Siong’s facial recognition system.
In May 2026, Catherine Tan Li Eng, 51, was sentenced to eight days in jail after pleading guilty to stealing 19 bottles of wine worth about S$556 from a Punggol outlet over seven occasions in September 2025.
Staff discovered discrepancies during an inventory check, reviewed CCTV footage and flagged Tan’s face in the system. When she returned the following day, a store manager received an alert and intercepted her.
The two cases illustrate how retailers are using technology to identify suspected repeat shoplifters and alert staff when they return.
Investigations and accountability
Facial recognition alerts can help staff identify people linked to earlier incidents, but an alert is not, by itself, proof of criminal wrongdoing. Evidence still needs to be assessed through the appropriate investigative and legal processes.
In Leong’s case, the court proceedings resulted in a guilty plea and a one-week jail sentence.
The case also highlights the growing role of surveillance technology in retail security, as businesses seek to reduce losses while ensuring that suspected offences are handled through established legal procedures.
