(Singapore) – A single mother from Indonesia, Maya Amara Putri, found herself entangled in a loan shark harassment ordeal due
to a friend’s involvement, leading her to resort to stealing her employers’ luxury watches and jewelry to settle her debts. As a result, Maya, aged 40, was handed a jail sentence of 21 months and one week on Tuesday (May 16).
Maya pleaded guilty to four charges, which included theft by servant and transferring criminal proceeds out of the country. The court also considered seven additional charges during the sentencing process.
Court records revealed that Maya worked as a domestic helper for a German couple residing in the Bukit Timah area. Being the sole breadwinner for her two children and a sick mother back in Indonesia, Maya would often pawn her own jewelry at Singaporean pawnshops to provide financial support whenever her children required assistance.
However, in 2022, Maya faced a troubling situation when she agreed to her friend’s request to utilize her work permit for borrowing money from a moneylender. Unfortunately, her friend returned to Indonesia without repaying the loans, leaving Maya to bear the burden of the loan sharks’ harassment and threats.
Desperate to settle her debts, Maya resorted to stealing valuable items from her employers’ residence and pawning them for cash. In March 2023, she noticed her employer’s Patek Philippe watch on the basin of the master bedroom toilet and promptly stole it, pawning it for S$6,000 (US$4,492) on her day off. The stolen timepiece was valued at S$63,840.
Upon discovering the missing watch, Maya’s employer confronted both of their helpers. Maya admitted to the theft, prompting her employer to report the incident to the police. Subsequent investigations uncovered additional stolen items, including a gold ring valued at S$4,758 and a pair of ear studs worth S$5,400.
Furthermore, charges were considered for the theft of other jewelry and watches belonging to Maya’s employers, which included an Omega watch worth S$10,000 and a Rolex valued at S$20,000.
Maya used the proceeds from pawning the stolen items to remit S$204 back to her son in Indonesia, while the loan sharks directed her to make bank transfers with the rest. The police managed to recover and seize all the stolen items, and Maya’s employers paid S$6,800 to the pawnshops involved to release their claims on the stolen valuables.
During the court hearing, the prosecution sought a jail term ranging from 21 months and one week to 24 months and two weeks. In her defense, Maya expressed remorse and appealed for a more lenient sentence. Taking into account the number of charges and the value of the stolen items, the judge deemed the prosecution’s requested jail term fair and reasonable. Furthermore, the judge backdated Maya’s sentence to account for her period of remand.
