A 37-year-old Malaysian woman who worked as a cashier at a minimart in Jurong West, Singapore, has been sentenced to 17 months in jail in the country for stealing nearly SGD57,000 or RM188,463 from the store within a span of 6 months.
The accused, Kon Chin Sia, stole up to SGD700 (RM2,314) every time she was responsible for the cash register, and misappropriated the money to finance her online gambling addiction.
A Malaysian woman stole nearly SGD57,000 from the minimart where she was working in Singapore
As reported by Shin Min Daily News, the minimart manager began to notice a decline in the store’s daily sales in April 2024.
At first, the manager thought that the decline was due to slow business, but a few months later, in September 2024, she realised that daily sales only dropped when the accused was manning the cash register.
The manager then checked the CCTV footage near the cash register between 30 September and 27 October 2024 and noticed that when the accused accepted customers’ payments, she would keep the cash register drawer open.
Afterwards, the accused can be seen taking cash from the register and putting it in a drawer at the counter.
For illustration purposes only
Having proof of the theft, the manager confronted the accused, who admitted to taking cash from the register daily since April 2024.
The accused said that she would take the money she’d stowed in the drawer, place it in her pocket and void the transactions on the cash register.
She further admitted to taking up to SGD700 each shift and depositing the cash into her account via an ATM.
Hearing this, the manager gave her the opportunity to repay all the money she had stolen, but she failed to do so. The manager then fired the cashier and reported her to the police on 20 December 2024.
The accused was sentenced to 17 months in jail
For illustration purposes
On 14 July 2025, the accused was charged in court for criminal breach of trust over the misappropriation of nearly SGD57,000. Furthermore, the court was also told that she spent the stolen money on her online gambling activities.
The accused was then sentenced to 17 months in jail, with the court taking into consideration another charge of using an unlicensed gambling service during sentencing.
So, what do you guys think of this case? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: M’sian Family Allegedly Steals RM40 Worth of Goods in Supermarket, 15yo Son Surrenders Himself to PDRM
