An Indonesian domestic worker in Singapore apparently ditched her job while under the guise of taking out the trash.
The 37-year-old lived with her employer in a four-room HDB flat at Rivervale Drive, Sengkang, reported Shin Min Daily News.
She was reported missing on Mar. 31, 2024 at around 10pm.
Unsatisfactory at job
The 62-year-old employer, surnamed Ye, told Shin Min that the domestic worker came to live with her and started working for the family on Feb. 8, 2024.
She said the domestic worker's work was not up to par:
"I originally asked her to clean the house once a day, but she didn't do it. I could only patiently remind her to do basic housework."
Before her employment, the domestic worker was informed that she'd have to look after Ye's daughter, who has an intellectual disability and needs help changing diapers, bathing, and eating.
Photo via Shin Min Daily News
Ye said she'd made an effort to ease the helper's workload, often letting the latter rest first at night, while Ye herself stayed up to care for her daughter.
"I understood that it was not easy for her to work. I thought if I was nicer to her, she would be nicer to my daughter. But I later found out I was wrong."
Through a camera installed at home, Ye observed that the domestic worker slacked off while doing chores and was impatient when overseeing her daughter's meals.
She said there were times the domestic worker threw the food away after Ye's daughter had no appetite.
Suspicious behaviour
The night of her disappearance on Mar. 31, Ye observed something off about the helper's behaviour.
According to Shin Min, surveillance footage showed the maid popping out of the house twice at noon, appearing to check on something.
She was seen looking downstairs from the corridor, then going into the house before returning outside a minute later to look downstairs again.
Ye speculated that she was waiting for someone to pick her up.
That night, the helper left the house to take out the trash as usual. This time, she never came back.
Photo via Shin Min Daily News
It was not until half an hour later that Ye figured her helper must have escaped, prompting Ye to make a police report.
About a week later on Apr. 9, the police contacted Ye and told her the domestic worker had left Singapore that day, Shin Min reported.
Goes MIA
Maid agency Inter Great confirmed that the domestic worker had gone missing, according to Shin Min, but said there was not any progress in the search for her.
The agency has contacted the domestic worker's family, the Indonesian embassy in Singapore, and the domestic worker shelter to no avail.
Her helper's disappearance has also left Ye busier than normal.
She said that liaising with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the maid agency, and taking care of her daughter, has left her physically and mentally exhausted.
She also had no choice but to call off a trip with her husband to China.
"I've been busy both day and night these past few years," she said. "I thought I finally had a chance to relax, but this happened."
Top images via Shin Min Daily News