The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested an Indonesian maid on Sunday for stealing gold coins and cash from her employer, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Chao identified the suspect as a 44-year-old female non-resident worker (NRW) surnamed Devi.
According to Chao, the victim, a local middle-aged woman living in a residential building in the northern district, had employed Devi as a live-in helper since October 2025. In January, the employer discovered that a bag containing 14,000 patacas in cash left beside her bed had gone missing, Chao said. He added that because there was no initial evidence linking the helper to the disappearance, the victim did not report the matter to the police at the time. However, she became more vigilant and began locking her bedroom door whenever she left the flat.
On Sunday, the victim discovered that 11 gold coins kept in her bedroom wardrobe had vanished and immediately confronted Devi, Chao said.
Under questioning by her employer, Devi admitted to the theft, claiming that in March, while her employer was away, she had climbed through a living room balcony window to enter the master bedroom and take the coins, according to Chao. Devi subsequently sent the coins to a jewellery shop in her home country, selling them for approximately 55,000 patacas. The victim called the Public Security Police (PSP) later that day, and PSP officers transferred the case to the PJ.
The victim told police that the gold coins were worth about 60,000 patacas, Chao said, adding that PJ officers seized 4,500 patacas in suspected stolen money from Devi’s room.
Devi has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), where she faces theft charges.
This undated handout photo provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday shows evidence seized from the Indonesian theft suspect surnamed Devi.
