Jail for maid who stole employer’s wedding ring, then replaced it with S$5 ring bought from Shopee
A view of the State Courts building.
SINGAPORE — After pawning her employer’s silver wedding ring with a diamond stone for S$170, a domestic helper bought a S$5 ring from Shopee to replace it, in a bid to avoid getting caught.
On Tuesday (June 4), Marlina, a 39-year-old Indonesian who goes by one name, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft and was sentenced to two weeks' jail.
Another charge of theft, for taking her employer’s red packets worth S$250, was taken into consideration for sentencing.
Charge sheets stated that Marlina had taken five red packets from her employer, each containing S$50, sometime in February 2024.
On April 22, 2024, Marlina noticed that her employer’s wardrobe drawer in her bedroom was unlocked.
She opened the drawer and saw her employer’s wedding ring in it.
Marlina decided to steal it. She took the ring to a ValueMax outlet at Eastlink Mall in Tampines and pawned it for S$170.
To avoid detection, Marlina bought a S$5 ring from Shopee and placed it in the wardrobe drawer.
A few days later, Marlina’s employer opened the drawer to take her wedding ring. She saw the S$5 ring instead and recognised that it was not her wedding ring.
She confronted her helper, who admitted that she had stolen and pawned it.
Her employer reported the incident to the police.
Speaking through an interpreter, Marlina, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for leniency.
She said that she was "very remorseful" and hoped to return home as soon as possible.
District Judge Luke Tan noted that Marlina had committed two thefts from her employer within a few months.
He added that she had taken steps to “effectively disguise” her theft of the wedding ring.
Anyone who commits theft from their employer can be jailed for up to seven years and be fined.
