The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a live-in domestic helper from the Philippines on Sunday for stealing jewellery and cash worth over 85,000 patacas from her employer, PJ spokesman Ho Wai Lok said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Ho identified the suspect as a 37-year-old female surnamed Solomon.
According to Ho, the police received a report on Sunday from a middle-aged local man who said that jewellery and cash had been stolen from his flat in the northern district, suspecting that his Filipina domestic worker was the culprit. Upon checking, he discovered that eight items of jewellery and cash were missing, amounting to 85,000 patacas.
Ho noted that the victim has employed Solomon since 2023. He usually kept his jewellery and cash in a locked drawer in his bedroom wardrobe. However, on Saturday, the victim discovered that some valuables in the drawer were missing and reported a total loss of 85,000 patacas to the police the following day.
The police apprehended Solomon on Sunday, and discovered a diamond ring and a gold necklace concealed in a storage cabinet beneath the sink in the flat’s bathroom. The police also seized multiple pawn tickets for the jewellery from her room.
Ho added that between April and this month, Solomon stole jewellery from the victim and pawned it in nearby hock shops for cash. The police recovered five items of jewellery from three pawnshops, including the two previously discovered, amounting to a total value of 46,500 patacas.
Under questioning, Solomon admitted to using a key from the employer’s room to open the drawer and steal the items when he and his family were away, claiming that she had used the cash from the drawer and the money received from the pawnshops for her daily expenses.
Solomon has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of theft and fraud.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
