'We trusted her': Family says maid stole $1,500 from elderly woman in vegetative state

Talk about kicking someone when they're down.

Entrusted with the care of an ailing 82-year-old woman, a domestic worker did the unthinkable, siphoning $1,500 out of the woman's bank account over two months, her employer claimed in a Shin Min Daily News report today (Sept 1).

The Indonesian domestic worker is being investigated for her suspected involvement in a case of dishonest misappropriation of property, police confirmed.

The woman's daughter, 60, told reporters that the helper, who remains unnamed, had been hired in February to care for her mother.

Following a stroke, her mother underwent surgery in July and has been in a vegetative state since.

The family had a good impression of their helper initially as she was friendly and hardworking, the daughter said.

"We trusted her. She was the only one at home with my mother. Usually, she would take my mother to her medical appointments and use my mother's bank card to pay the fees.

"We never thought she would be so dishonest. She didn't even let off an elderly person on her last breath."

She first suspected something was amiss in mid-August, when she and her family came across a bank statement in the elderly woman's Bukit Panjang flat showing numerous transfers to Dash, a mobile wallet, she recalled.

"My mother is the type of person who needs her children's help to withdraw money from the bank. How could she know how to use a mobile wallet?"

Upon further examination, the family found 19 suspicious transactions. Ranging from $50 to $100 each, the transactions added up to $1,500.

Some transactions dated back to June, while others were as recent as August.

"At the time, my mother was already in a vegetative state, so we suspected the helper did it," she said.

The family lodged a police report on Aug 12.

The domestic worker later admitted that she had linked her Dash account to the elderly woman's debit card after police officers visited the flat, the daughter said.

According to the domestic worker, the money was meant to be her pay for the month of June, although she did not offer an explanation as to why the transactions extended to August, she added.

The domestic worker is currently staying with her agency as investigations are ongoing.

"We are still paying for her daily meals. We will know what is next after the results of the investigation is revealed.

"I hope she won't be able to just leave and go back to her country, so we decided to share our plight and hope everyone will be wary of this," the woman's daughter said.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com