Dubai: A housemaid was accused of robbing her sponsor after she sprayed an opiate drug in the face of his son and mother-in-law on her first day at work.

Prosecutors accused the 31-year-old Sri Lankan housemaid, O.B., of stealing Dh18,000 in cash and some Dh34,000 worth of jewelry and valuables. She was additionally accused of breaking the drawer and cupboard where the jewelry and valuables were hidden.

Prosecution records said an Indian salesman hired O.B. after he read a newspaper advertisement.

He was said to have called her and he hired her from the first day he met her. Prosecution records said on the next day his wife phoned him and informed him that the housemaid absconded after she drugged his mother-in-law and son.

"I was taking care of my grandson when O.B. came into the bedroom. There was some kind of smoke behind her back and I told her that there was a strange smell. She told me not to worry and suddenly I fell down on the floor unconscious. I regained consciousness around 30 minutes later… when I checked on the house, I discovered that O.B. broke the drawer and a cupboard and stole cash money and jewelry," the 52-year-old grandmother claimed to prosecutors.

When the defendant appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance, she refuted all her accusations.

"I did not steal anything or break any drawer. I am not guilty," O.B. said when she defended herself before Presiding Judge Jassem Al Beloushi.

An Emirati police corporal testified that the Indian salesman reported the robbery on March 3, 2009.

"We detained the housemaid following an informant's tip off on August 8, 2009 in Al Rashidiya. We obtained prosecutors' warrant and searched her residence. We confiscated some stolen jewelry from her residence. When we displayed them to the Indian claimant, he did not identify any of them. The claimant also identified the housemaid at the police line up three times. We checked the criminal records and discovered that she was involved in a similar robbery," claimed the corporal.

Prosecution records did not mention why the case was referred to court after nearly two years and a half.

A verdict will be heard on May 14.