Maid in movie-style theft at employer

An Asian housemaid apparently influenced by mystery movies cleaned up her Emirati female employer’s room of all money and jewelry, grabbed her passport and headed straight to the Abu Dhabi airport. Using misleading detective tactics, she texted her employer to tell her she quit the job and went to Al-Ain.

The unnamed maid had waited for her employer to go to work before she put the woman’s two children on the school bus and sneaked into the Emirati’s bedroom, which she had forgot to lock, Alittihad newspaper reported on Thursday.

After finding her passport, the 32-year-old maid mounted a search operation that resulted in the collection of more than Dh40,000, including over Dh14,000 in cash plus seven watches and two expensive rings.

She then packed her things and sneaked out of the apartment on Jawazat Road, where she hailed a taxi and headed for the airport.

“Sorry madam,” she started a text she sent to her employer’s mobile phone. “I am now in Al Ain….I left because the salary is not enough for my family.…you are a wonderful person but I did this for my children…please try to understand…thank you for everything.”

Rushing back home, the 36-year-old Emirati woman discovered the theft and quickly informed the police about the maid, who arrived three months ago.

A few hours later, she received another SMS from her maid, apologizing for the theft and asking her not to inform the police as she would return the money and the stolen items to her. She also told the woman that she was locked up by her new employer in Al Ain but said she would return the stolen items.

“The police had a hunch that the maid could be at the airport and her texts were intended to mislead them…so they sent an urgent message to the airport, where she was later seized before boarding the aircraft,” Alittihad said.

It said police searched her and found more than Dh14,000 in different currency notes, seven watches worth over Dh10,000 and two gold and diamond rings.

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