A domestic helper in Singapore was jailed for one year and eight months after repeatedly stealing cash and gold jewellery from her 75-year-old employer to support her gambling addiction.
Shin Min Daily News reported on Jan 17 that the 42-year-old Myanmar national, identified as Zaw Zaw Min, took advantage of moments when her employer was asleep to withdraw money using his debit card and pawn his jewellery.
Between December 2024 and July 2025, Zaw Zaw Min made 43 ATM withdrawals of S$2,000 each, amounting to S$86,000. From January to June 2025, she also stole gold jewellery worth S$20,368, which she pawned for cash.
Court documents revealed that the employer had entrusted her with his only debit card since May 2024 and had shared the PIN with her, instructing her to withdraw S$2,000 monthly for groceries and other expenses. She was also asked to withdraw additional cash when the employer travelled to Johor.
The helper knew that her employer kept his gold jewellery unlocked in a drawer and rarely wore it. To avoid detection, she took one piece at a time so the theft would go unnoticed. At the time, she earned a monthly salary of about S$700 to S$800 and had also received a S$10,000 advance from her employer.
To cover her tracks, Zaw Zaw Min would sneak out while her employer slept and delete bank alerts from his phone. However, she was eventually exposed after failing to erase one notification in time.
Although she promised not to steal again when confronted, the thefts continued. On Jul 11, 2025, a friend of the employer alerted the police and found the helper at the lift lobby with her passport and luggage. Officers later recovered S$2,000 in cash from her, which she admitted was stolen.
During investigations, Zaw Zaw Min expressed remorse and said her gambling addiction drove her repeated offences. She also claimed that part of the stolen money had been sent to her family.
