Maid stole over $28k using ATM card belonging to 83-year-old employer with dementia, gets jail

A domestic worker was sentenced to one year in jail on Thursday (July 18) for stealing more than $28,000 from her elderly employee with dementia.

Indonesian national Sriatun, 45, had pleaded guilty to one charge of theft as a servant, The Straits Times reported.

Another charge of theft, for stealing her employer's ATM card, was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that Sriatun, who goes by one name, had been working for the employer for two years.

After learning about his POSB bank account's ATM personal identification number, Sriatun stole his card 19 times and made 36 withdrawals between Jan 14 and Sept 24 last year.

She would return the card to her employer to avoid detection.

But in November 2023, the man's son saw a letter of demand from the town council on outstanding service and conservancy charges. He suspected something was amiss since the payments were usually made through Giro.

He lodged a police report after seeing the multiple cash withdrawals.

Sriatun allegedly remitted $11,000 to her family in Indonesia and spent the remaining $17,050 on personal expenses.

By the time she was caught, her employer only had $47.19 left in his account. No restitution has been made.

Those who steal from their employer can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com