Caught from Pawn Tickets, Indonesian Migrant Worker in Singapore Jailed for 1.5 Years for Stealing Employer's Jewelry worth Rp567 Million

Dream - An Indonesian female migrant worker, Erna Susilawati (39), has been sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for stealing money and jewelry belonging to her employer in Singapore.

The total loss suffered by the employer amounted to more than 50 thousand Singapore Dollars or equivalent to Rp567 million. Erna's prison sentence was handed down by the Singapore court on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

When caught stealing, Erna immediately contacted another helper to sell the stolen jewelry to a fence. Erna initially denied stealing her employer's money.

However, a police officer found pawn tickets and jewelry hidden in a lunch bag.

Erna Susilawati pleaded guilty to two theft charges. The officer is considering two other charges.

In court, Erna worked for a family living in the MacPherson area.

She received a monthly salary of 900 Singapore Dollars or equivalent to Rp10 million and had days off, as well as 10 days of annual leave during the Lunar New Year.

During her employment, Erna did not complain about anything. Her employer allowed her to go out alone while working. As reported by CNA, Erna stole from her employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law between January 2021 and June 2021.

She took 50 thousand Singapore Dollars in cash from a drawer in the victim's bedroom and pocketed 15 pieces of jewelry from a hidden compartment under the wardrobe in the bedroom.

After stealing the cash and jewelry, Erna received assistance from fellow helpers to pawn the items and send the proceeds to Indonesia.

On June 14, 2021, the victim realized that more than 50,000 Singapore Dollars in cash were missing from her room. Her jewelry was also missing.

Despite searching for several days, she could not find the valuable items, so she reported it to the police.

The prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of 18 to 20 months for Erna Susilawati. The basis of the demand refers to the high value of the stolen goods, the number of offenses motivated by greed and abuse of trust.

"We highlight that the defendant was well-paid and did not lack the allowances given to her in the form of annual leave," said the prosecutor.

She said the helper also showed no remorse and tried to hide the stolen jewelry.

Erna requested a lenient sentence. The reason is that she has to support her children after divorcing her husband.

"I really hope that my case can be resolved as soon as possible, because since 2019 I haven't seen my children and my children really want to see me soon," she said while crying.

However, according to the prosecutor, no restitution was given. Some cash has been sent to Indonesia.

"There is not much evidence to show that her children in Indonesia are suffering from a lack of financial support," said the prosecutor.