Thai actress catches Laotian housemaid stealing nearly 1 million baht
Crime uncovered after actress noticed slow drain of household cash
A Thai actress discovered that her Laotian housemaid had been stealing cash in small amounts over the course of a year, leading to a total loss of nearly 1 million baht.
The actress, Nathalie Devies, and her husband filed a police complaint on July 10 after realising that cash in both Thai and foreign currencies had gone missing from their home in Soi Phatthanakan 38, Suan Luang district, Bangkok.
The couple kept the money under their Buddha shelf and suspected their Laotian maid was responsible for the theft.
According to Nathalie, the maid, identified as Pennapha, was employed to clean the house and look after their children. She had been working at the residence from Monday to Friday for over a year.
After Nathalie and her husband grew suspicious, Pennapha stopped coming to work. Police launched a search and eventually found her hiding with her boyfriend, a motorcycle taxi driver.
Pennapha was brought to the police station to face the victims. A video shared by Channel 7 showed her in tears as she confessed to the actress and her husband, saying she had been driven by greed.
Pennapha admitted feeling guilty and claimed she had tried several times to stop stealing, as both Nathalie and her husband had treated her kindly.
The couple asked her whether she feared karma, given that she committed the theft in front of a Buddha statue. Pennapha remained silent, performed a wai gesture of respect to the couple, and was taken into custody.
During police questioning, Pennapha claimed she had stolen the money to pay off a large debt in Laos. However, police discovered that the amount she had stolen far exceeded her reported debt. Most of the stolen money was allegedly given to her boyfriend or spent on cosmetic surgery.
Channel 7 reported that this housemaid previously worked for another Thai actress and stole from that actress as well.
In a similar incident, a Thai caretaker in Ratchaburi province is suspected of being involved in the murder and robbery of a bedridden woman under her care. The victim was found dead in bed with multiple stab wounds, and 7,500 baht in cash, which had reportedly been placed in her pocket three days earlier, was missing.
The caretaker claimed she had repaid a debt to the victim’s sister by placing 7,500 baht in the woman’s pocket three days prior. She denied any involvement in the murder, and police have yet to find evidence linking her to the crime.
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