Who says you can’t solve crime with TikTok? A household just did that.
In a world where social media reveals more than we sometimes intend, a man made a startling discovery while scrolling through TikTok. No, it’s not Tan Kin Lian saying something that shocked Singapore (again).
Instead, he stumbled upon his domestic helper’s account and was shocked to see a video featuring a red packet that had been given to him by his late father-in-law. Curious and concerned, he checked the box where he stored his red packets, only to find that several of them were missing.
Cue the BBQ viral TikTok song.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
On Friday, 25 August, Nurfiyawati, a 36-year-old Indonesian national who goes by only one name, pleaded guilty to one count of theft from her employer and was subsequently sentenced to three months in jail.
Nurfiyawati had been employed by Mr Sim Yuan San, 41, since January 2022, and her responsibilities included cleaning, cooking, and taking care of his four-year-old son.
While Mr Sim and his family were vacationing in Korea in May 2022, Nurfiyawati seized the opportunity to search his room, where she found a box containing 50 to 60 red packets.
These packets, stored in the storage component of Mr Sim’s bed, had amounts ranging from S$10 to S$400. Unable to resist the temptation, she took two packets and kept the money.
It turned out that this was not a one-time incident. Between May and August 2022, Nurfiyawati continued to steal two red packets weekly from the same box, according to the prosecutor.
The theft remained undiscovered until Mr Sim, while browsing TikTok, came across Nurfiyawati’s account and saw a video of a red packet with some money.
Pretty sure Nurfiyawati was as shocked as Mr Sim.
Recognizing the packet as a gift from his late father-in-law, Mr Sim immediately checked the box and realized that several red packets and cash were missing. A subsequent search of the accused’s room revealed several empty red packets that belonged to him.
Confronted with the evidence, Nurfiyawati confessed to stealing at least S$7,000 from Mr Sim, most of which she had remitted to Indonesia. Mr Sim then reported the theft to the police. Unfortunately, no restitution had been made, and the money was not recovered.
For stealing from her employer, Nurfiyawati could have faced a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.
Moral of the story? In today’s digital age, the age-old wisdom of not friending your boss on social media seems to have lost its relevance. But let’s not forget another timeless piece of advice that still holds true—don’t steal.