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A domestic worker accused of stealing money from her employer and transferring it to a fellow national will learn her fate next month.
The 39-year-old Ethiopian woman allegedly took advantage of her employer’s hospital visits to access her BenefitPay app and transfer money from the employer’s phone without permission or authorisation.
She is on trial at the High Criminal Court, where she is facing charges of unlawfully accessing another person’s online banking service and fraudulently transferring funds.
Judges are expected to issue a verdict in the case on October 4.
According to court documents, the victim – a 62-year-old Bahraini woman from Riffa – had hired the defendant as a domestic help, who was residing in her home at the time.
While reviewing her BenefitPay app, the victim noticed a suspicious transfer of BD180 from her account. She handed her phone to her sister for further investigation, who then discovered four additional unauthorised transactions totalling BD778.
The first transfer of BD180 was made on March 29, followed by BD28 on May 14, BD270 on May 17, BD120 on May 24, and a final BD180 on May 25.
The victim’s sister contacted the recipient of the funds to demand an explanation.
It was later revealed that the accused had involved an unsuspecting Ethiopian woman in the scheme. The woman, believing she was helping a fellow national, received the money and passed it on to her husband, who then sent it to the accused’s family in Ethiopia.
The woman ended up apologising to the victim and sent a part of the money back to her.
The case was reported to the Public Prosecution, which immediately launched an investigation.
An enquiry with BenefitPay confirmed that the money went to the Ethiopian woman, who had no knowledge of the theft.
During questioning by the Public Prosecution, the accused admitted to the charges and said she took advantage of her employer’s hospital visits to access her phone and transfer the funds.
She had reportedly memorised the victim’s BenefitPay passcode and used it without her knowledge or consent. During the first hearing on September 11, the suspect claimed that she stole the money to pay for her residency fees.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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