Thomas Chua, who criticised dead TP officer, arrested for shoplifting at Mustafa Centre

The man who stirred controversy online after making insensitive remarks about a fallen Traffic Police officer was arrested for shoplifting on June 4.

Police said in a press release that Thomas Chua Poh Heng, 39, was apprehended at 5.37am for alleged shop theft at a departmental store along Syed Alwi Road.

Stomp understands that the store is Mustafa Centre.

Security officers saw Chua behaving suspiciously and found him with an unpaid item outside the store. He was then handed over to the police.

Prior to this incident, Chua was already under investigation for three other separate police reports lodged against him since January this year.

The offences include shop thefts and traffic violations.

Chua had earlier drawn flak for his remarks on Facebook about Staff Sergeant Nadzrie Matin, 29, who was killed in the line of duty after an accident along Serangoon road on June 1.

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Law, later slammed Chua's "gloating post" and called him "sick in the head".

He added, "You wonder what human decency people like Thomas have - to be so self-centered, smug and making nasty remarks about an officer who died doing his duty. While there is a completely distraught wife, grieving parents and family, and teammates who are crying."

Singapore Airlines also clarified that Chua was not an employee of the company, following rumours that he worked there.