My friend is arrested for suspect shoplifting in singapore.. She is a foreigner.. Her family is being informed by the policemen that she is stealing some cosmetic stuffs from several shopping center and will be arrested for 48 hours for further investigation and no one is allowed to see or call her. Now even after 48 hours the policemen did not let her parents or anyone to see her. Her family also could not get any information from the policemen. My friend have clean record and first time offender.
What is punishment for this crime? Will she get jail term?
Her parents really worried about her because they could not approach her and the policemen did not want to inform anything about her case being caught.
How is the singapore law procedure for this such crime? Why the policemen did not want to tell anything about why she is being arrested? There is nothing information they would give to her parents too, is it not seem right to do... Her family also could not afford to get lawyer, what should be done then ?
Please kindly advise...

You need to contact the embassy for your government there. It can be very serious

As FrChuck said, these are VERY serious charges. Your friend can face a long term of imprisonment, a very long term.

The family needs to contact the Embassy (which very probably cannot do anything) AND an Attorney. I know they can't afford one but the alternative is serious.

Hello f:

You can't afford NOT to have a lawyer for her... In addition to LONG prison sentences for shop lifting, Singapore ALSO administers corporal punishment by Caining (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning)...

She wants to avoid that at all costs.

excon

And they can keep them for months in jail before any charges are even formally given. And years in prison after that if they want.