An elderly couple in Tampines have become victims of a theft recently, and it appears their domestic helper is the main suspect.

Helper goes missing on day off

The elderly couple, aged 79 and 95, live alone in their flat at Tampines Street 83, along with an Indonesian domestic helper they employed in March 2019.

It was the first time they employed a helper.

Prior to the incident, the domestic helper had reportedly informed her employers several weeks ago that she wanted to return to her hometown in Blanakan, Subang at the end of September.

The helper had also requested for a day off on Sep. 11, 2019, reported Stomp.

However, on that day, she went missing.

The elderly couple's son, surnamed Lim, told Stomp that the helper left at 7am in the morning.

Lim had messaged her in the afternoon, as the helper's agency had been looking for her, but she did not reply.

Lim and his elderly parents apparently did not suspect anything, until 9pm when the helper had still not returned.

This was when the couple and their daughter, who happened to be staying over on that day, became suspicious.

Cash, jewellery and helper's passport missing from locked safe

Weirdly, the couple's daughter found the telephone cable unplugged from the wall.

The family then went to check on the safe in the couple's bedroom, where most of their valuables were stored.

They then discovered that S$25,000 in cash was missing, as well as two pieces of jewellery, and the helper's passport.

S$8,000 of cash, and other jewellery items, such as diamond rings and necklaces, were left behind.

Lim revealed that the key to the safe was usually kept in his elderly mother's handbag, which she usually left in the bedroom or the kitchen.

His elderly parents felt "heartbroken and betrayed" after the incident, as the helper was allegedly "close" to the couple, and would "hug [his] mother and help [his] dad a lot", Lim said.

According to Stomp, the family has since made a police report and investigations are underway.

The family reportedly do not expect to get their money back, but simply want some closure on the incident.

Top photo from Google Maps Streetview