https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/maid-flees-home-after-apparently-borrowing-money-loan-sharks-employer-appeals-information-her-whereabouts-2338316
In-house surveillance footage of Maemanah at her employer's home (left) and the tampered drawer (right) where she retrieved her passport.
SINGAPORE — A family in Singapore is appealing to the public to look out for their Indonesian maid who had left their home in Punggol after apparently borrowing money from unlicensed moneylenders.
Ms Ika Lestari, a 40-year-old teacher, said in social media posts last Friday (Jan 5) that she and her husband have been harassed by "loan sharks" even after they helped to pay a total loan sum of S$3,950 to three different people.
Their Indonesian domestic worker, Maemanah, was last seen on that Friday evening at Punggol Interchange, Ms Ika added.
Ms Ika told TODAY on Monday that Maemanah, who has been working with the family since January last year, had asked for advance payment of her salary last Thursday evening.
Ms Ika was surprised at the request since she had just paid her salary on Dec 26. She added that this was not the first time that Maemanah had asked for advances.
Ms Ika recalled that the worker appeared panicky last Thursday, and later claimed that she needed to pay someone who was waiting at the void deck of the housing block, which made Ms Ika suspicious.
Maemanah later told her employers that she had borrowed money from loan sharks.
Ms Ika said that she was contacted by three different people who asked her to pay Maemanah's debt, which came up to a total sum of S$3,950.
The worker had apparently been borrowing money from the unlicensed moneylenders since Dec 10, her employer said.
“We thought everything was over after paying the S$3,950,” Ms Ika said.
“Maemanah thanked me for helping to pay that night, although we have not agreed if she will stay on to work with us as I wanted to consult my husband, who was overseas on the day and returning only on Saturday.”