Woman returns home from holiday to find $100k worth of gold jewellery and cash missing

A woman who was hoping to gift a piece of gold jewellery to her relatives got a rude shock when she opened her safe and found it empty.

The Pinevale condominium resident surnamed Wang, 56, had recently returned home from her holiday when she discovered the theft on Oct 24, 2023, reported Shin Min Daily News.

She had planned to fly overseas the next day to visit her relatives. 

Inside the safe were several pieces of gold jewellery, including a necklace worn during her wedding tea ceremony and her child's full month celebration gift, said Wang, who works in the finance industry.

She estimates the jewellery to be worth about $60,000 to $70,000, adding that around $20,000 to $30,000 in euros and US Dollars were also missing from the safe.

However, Wang told Shin Min that it is difficult to determine when exactly the cash and jewellery were stolen as she has no CCTV cameras at her Tampines home and had last checked the contents in her safe several months back.

"I asked my maid about the theft and searched her room but didn't find any gold jewellery, so I decided to call the police," she said.

Maid fired

When the police arrived at her home, Wang's maid, a 29-year-old Myanmar national, was reportedly taken to the station for questioning.

The woman added that the helper had knelt silently near the door before leaving with the police — a behaviour which she thought was strange.

Wang told the Chinese evening daily that the maid started working for her in late 2022 and had a good attitude: "She is usually well-behaved and obedient. When I correct her mistakes, she readily accepts them without talking back or showing her displeasure."

Although her maid did not admit to the theft, Wang said that she still had her suspicions. She has since fired the helper and cancelled her work permit.

The woman has also installed a CCTV camera to prevent a similar situation from happening.

The police confirmed a report was lodged, and investigations are ongoing.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com