Indonesian maid jailed for stealing $66k from employer's family

A maid who stole more than $60,000 worth of property from her employer's household was jailed for 14 months on Monday, July 21, 2014. -- PHOTO: ST FILE 
A maid who stole more than $60,000 worth of property from her employer's household was jailed for 14 months on Monday, July 21, 2014. -- PHOTO: ST FILE 

SINGAPORE - A maid who stole more than $60,000 worth of property from her employer's household was jailed for 14 months on Monday.

Indonesian Mellysa, 30, who goes by one name, admitted to five charges of theft from her employer and members of the family at a condominium at Draycott Drive between March and May this year.

Five other charges were considered during her sentencing.

A district court heard that she started stealing shortly after she began working for Madam Karen Yip Ka Ling, 47, early this year.

Madam Yip discovered that money and other items were missing from her home in March but did not suspect anything.

When more things vanished two months later she began to suspect the domestic worker who had often been the only person in the flat.

Madam Yip confronted Mellysa on May 31, and found her $700 mobile phone in the helper's room.

Mellysa had also stolen $500 from the girlfriend of Madam Yip's son, and $200 each from Madam Yip and her husband, Mr Lam Chi Kin, 55.

On April 29, Mellysa saw Madam Yip's luggage above a cupboard. She opened it and found an assortment of items including an $18,000 Hermes bag, a $15,000 Chanel bag and five leather jackets worth about $12,000. She had also hired a delivery company to send the items to her home in Indonesia.

The items were subsequently recovered with the help of the delivery company.

She could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined on each charge.

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