Maid jailed one year for stealing S$41,000 from elderly employer

SINGAPORE — An Indonesian domestic helper who stole the bank card of her employer’s 76-year-old wife, and used it to withdraw more than S$40,000 over one-and-a-half months, was sentenced to one year’s jail on Friday (June 1).

Eka Nur Indah pleaded guilty to 18 charges of theft, with another 53 similar charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that Eka, 26, began her stealing spree in early June last year, and was only discovered in mid-July by her employer’s son.

He was making fund transfers using his mother Madam Oey Kiat Kien Nio’s bank account when he realised that up to S$2,000 per day had been regularly withdrawn from the account. He then filed a police report against the helper on July 18 last year.

Eka had found Mdm Oey’s PIN number for her ATM card in Mdm Oey’s notebook. Knowing that the elderly woman kept her card in her bag by her bedside, Eka waited for her employer to be asleep or when she was watching television in the living room to steal it.

Then, she would visit an ATM nearby in the Yishun area to withdraw cash, as well as buy items through Nets transactions.

She remitted some of the money back to her home country, and also bought gold jewellery, facial services at a beauty parlour, and Samsung mobile phones.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Marshall Lim told the court that she started off withdrawing smaller sums of S$300 and S$500. In fact, she made five separate withdrawals of those amounts on June 9, the first time she stole Mdm Oey’s bank card.

She would return the card each time, and steal it again subsequently on days when she wanted to withdraw money.

“This happened on a fairly regular basis, about once every two days … she became emboldened by the fact that she went undetected,” DPP Lim said.

Just five days after her initial thefts, Eka began withdrawing sums of S$1,000. In all, she pilfered S$41,213 from Mdm Oey, for which she has not made restitution.

Citing several aggravating factors, DPP Lim said Eka had committed a serious breach of trust. “Domestic helpers form a very integral part of the Singapore family nucleus — they are given heavy responsibilities and a lot of trust, as they reside in their employer’s house and have access to their belongings,” he added.

In sentencing Eka, District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim noted that her crimes were deliberate and planned.

When Eka, who was unrepresented, said through a translator that she “did not do this systematically, it just happened”, District Judge Hamidah retorted: “Yes, and this happened 71 times.”

For each charge of theft, Eka could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined.