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A maid and a driver have each been sentenced to three years in prison for colluding to use an elderly woman’s debit card to purchase a smartphone.
The High Criminal Court found the Indian defendants guilty of illegally using the victim’s electronic signature – her card’s PIN – to buy a device worth BD295.
The case came to light when the Bahraini woman’s grandson visited her and she mentioned having difficulties with her funds.
When he checked her bank account through the mobile application, he discovered that her balance had dropped to BD34, even though it had been more than BD300 during his previous visit. The grandmother confirmed that she had not withdrawn any money or made any major purchases since then.
Suspecting foul play, the 27-year-old teacher contacted the bank and was informed that a charge had indeed been made.
Recalling that major electronics purchases typically require vendors to record customer details, the grandson visited the well‑known hypermarket where the smartphone had been bought. There, he obtained the phone number associated with the buyer and began to suspect the 39‑year‑old maid who was hired to help his grandmother with household chores.
He confronted the maid, took possession of the phone, and entered the phone number he had obtained from the hypermarket. The number was revealed to belong to the family’s 24‑year‑old driver.
The grandson immediately filed a complaint with authorities, who looked through security footage at the hypermarket’s check-out and found video evidence of the driver completing the purchase with the stolen card and entering the PIN.
The duo was identified and apprehended.
During interrogation, the driver admitted that he had asked the maid to steal the elderly woman’s bank card and PIN. He also confessed that they planned to sell the smartphone and send the proceeds to India.
When questioned in court, both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.
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