Part-time maid jailed after homeowner uses serial-numbered notes to catch theft

SINGAPORE: A homeowner’s suspicions paid off after she used a security camera and recorded the serial numbers of several banknotes to catch a part-time maid who had allegedly been stealing from her.

The 30-year-old Myanmar national, who worked as an hourly cleaner through a home services platform, was later caught with cash that matched the serial numbers the homeowner had noted down in advance.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the woman had been cleaning the homeowner’s unit at Bedok South Avenue 3 every Thursday since September last year and was permitted to enter the rooms while carrying out her duties.

Case details 

According to court documents, the woman arrived at the unit on May 28 at around 6:30 p.m. for her scheduled cleaning session. While carrying out her duties, she noticed an unzipped bag inside the home. She then removed a wallet from the bag, took three S$50 notes and placed them in her pocket before continuing with her work.

About 90 minutes later, the homeowner realised that cash was missing and confronted the cleaner. When asked about the money, the woman produced four S$50 notes from her pocket. The homeowner then checked the serial numbers and found that three of the notes matched the numbers she had previously recorded after becoming suspicious that money had been disappearing. She subsequently contacted the police.

The woman later pleaded guilty to one count of theft. In mitigation, she apologised for her actions and sought a lighter sentence, expressing a wish to return home as soon as possible. The prosecution noted that she had no prior criminal record. She was ultimately sentenced to two weeks’ jail.

Other related news 

In a separate theft case reported earlier, a 31-year-old Filipino woman was jailed after stealing 20 bottles of alcohol worth S$1,216 from a supermarket over a period of just over a month.

The thefts, which took place across 12 separate incidents, were eventually uncovered through CCTV footage, leading to her arrest and subsequent conviction.

Read more about the news story here.