Singapore – A 31-year-old Indonesian domestic helper in Singapore has been jailed for six weeks for stealing more than S$2,000 in cash and belongings from her employer’s family in Hougang. She had been on the job for barely a week. What gave her away was a single S$50 note whose serial number her employer had written down.
According to a news report, Febrini Yuliana Tamengkel began working on August 29 for a 64-year-old man’s household. Five people lived in the home: the employer, his wife, their two sons, and a daughter-in-law. Money began disappearing within days.
How One S$50 Note Exposed Her
On September 5, the employer’s wife noticed cash missing from her wallet and told her husband. He suspected the new helper, so he recorded the serial number of a S$50 note in his own wallet.
On September 7, the note was still there with the rest of his S$120 in cash. By the next day, all of it was gone.
The family talked it over and decided to involve the police. When officers searched the helper’s belongings, they found the same S$50 note the employer had tracked.
Key Dates in the Case
- Aug 29: Febrini starts work at the Hougang home
- Sept 5: The employer’s wife notices cash missing
- Sept 7–8: S$120 vanishes from the employer’s wallet
- Sept 9: The daughter-in-law calls police around 10 a.m., and the helper is arrested that afternoon
More Than One Family Member Targeted
Febrini admitted she spotted the employer’s unattended wallet while cleaning his desk. She took the S$120 and hid it under her clothes in a wardrobe drawer.
She also confessed to taking cash at least twice from the eldest son’s bag and cupboard. That money came to about S$2,053 and included Australian dollars, Malaysian ringgit, and Chinese yuan. She had also taken belongings from the employer’s wife and younger son.
Police recovered all the stolen cash and items and returned them to the family.
Guilty Plea and Sentence
Febrini pleaded guilty to two counts of theft. The court took two other similar charges into consideration during sentencing, and she was sentenced to six weeks’ jail.
A Reminder for Workers Abroad
For the many Filipinos working in homes across Singapore and beyond, this case shows how much depends on trust. Employers open their homes to you, and that trust grows one day at a time. A single bad decision can undo the sacrifices that brought you overseas and the hopes of the family waiting back home.
If money worries are weighing on you, reach out to your agency, a trusted friend, or your OFW community early, before the pressure leads to a choice you can’t take back.