Dubai: A housemaid has been jailed for six months after a court convicted her of stealing jewellery worth Dh300,000 from an Emirati family she worked for.
The 34-year-old Sri Lankan housemaid, L.T, wasted 12 years of good service with her Emirati sponsor when she decided to carry out the heist. The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of stealing her sponsor’s jewellery.
“She worked for us for nearly 12 years during which we never had any problem with her. She stole jewellery and cash and clothes,” the Emirati sponsor stated.
“I am guilty. I robbed the jewellery,” said L.T. when she appeared before the court.
The Emirati woman testified that she discovered that L.T. took the safe keys and stole huge quantities of valuable jewellery on September 10.
“Her job was to clean, iron clothes and fix the house rooms with the help of another housemaid. I kept the jewellery in a special safe in my daughter’s bedroom.
“She found the keys to the bedroom and the safe. Then she abused the fact that everybody was away at work in the morning, she entered the room and stole the jewellery, the value of which varied between Dh250,000 and Dh300,000.
“A day before I discovered the robbery, our neighbour’s housemaid visited us. She wanted to dispatch some of her personal belongings with a courier company through L.T.
“That was when I doubted that the defendant must have stolen my Dh4,000. I had placed the money in a handbag but later it disappeared. Later in the evening I checked the belongings that the defendant was supposed to dispatch to her country, surprisingly I found my clothes and jewellery hidden in her bags.
“I also found in her possession the room keys and the safe keys. When I confronted her, L.T. confessed that she stole a huge quantity of jewellery,” claimed the sponsor.
Records said the defendant returned Dh2,500 and a golden bracelet to her sponsor. The primary judgment remains subject to appeal within 13 days.
