Dubai maid accused of stealing Dh250,000 from sponsor’s safe

A 31-year-old maid has denied stealing Dh250,000 from a safe at her sponsor’s home.

DUBAI // A maid stole Dh250,000 from a safe at her employer’s home, a court heard.

Bangladeshi FM, 31, used a key to the safe, which was kept in a drawer in the sponsor’s room, to steal the money on October 9, prosecutors said.

Her employer, AY, from Pakistan, said in evidence at Dubai Criminal Court he and his family left their house in Al Qusais just before 9pm and returned after midnight. He left the maid and another worker whose responsibility was to clean the garden and the cars.

“I didn’t find the maid nor the worker [identified as R] at home so I felt scared and headed straight to the safe to check on its contents,” said AY.

AY opened the safe with its key and found the cash missing, while his wife’s jewellery was still there. “They must have seen where I kept the key,” said AY.

He looked for the maid in her room but found she had absconded, so he called police.

FM was arrested the following month and police found Dh2,000 in her possession. Prosecutors said that during her questioning she denied stealing the cash and said she saw R leaving the house with cash in his hands. She added in her testimony that R handed her Dh85,000 after which she ran away.

She denied the charge of theft in court on Monday. A verdict is expected on February 25.