Jurong minimart discovers cashier stole over S$56K for gambling, employee gets 17 months in jail
A Jurong minimart facing a drop in sales found the culprit to be a cashier, who was later discovered to have stolen over S$56,000 from the cash register to fuel her gambling habit.
Shin Min Daily News reported that the manager of the minimart at Block 651 Jurong West Street 61 first noticed the sales decline in April 2024.
At first, she attributed it to worsening business. However, the manager noticed in September that the dips in sales correlated with 37-year-old Kon Chin Sia being on duty.
Each time Kon worked as the cashier, the minimart suffered a sales decrease of around S$600 to S$700.
Cashier given chance to compensate for stolen money
From 30 Sept to 27 Oct, the manager reviewed the CCTV footage.
It turned out that when customers paid in cash, Kon would place the cash into a drawer instead of the cash register.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
When confronted, Kon admitted to embezzling S$500 to S$600 in cash each shift.
She would take the money from the drawer and deposit it into her bank account.
Shin Min Daily News reported that she had worked at the minimart for over 7 years, usually being very hardworking.
As she was a long-time employee, the manager gave Kon a chance to compensate for the stolen amount. The police were contacted after she failed to do so.
After she was fired, several regulars arrived to ask about her. Kon had allegedly borrowed over S$100 from the customers as well.
Cashier stole nearly S$57,000 for online gambling
In court, the cashier faced two counts of criminal breach of trust. She pleaded guilty to one count yesterday (14 July), with the other being taken into consideration.
According to bank records, Kon deposited a total of S$56,797 stolen from the minimart. She confessed to spending most of it on online gambling.
Source: Monkey Business Images on Canva, for illustration purposes only
During mitigation, the defence pointed out that the defendant had no prior criminal record. Additionally, her family was heavily in debt at the time, with an unwell family member.
Her lawyer added that she would definitely be sent back to Malaysia afterwards, which they cited as a form of punishment in itself.
Due to this, they pleaded for leniency in sentencing.
Judge passes sentence of 17 months’ imprisonment
The prosecution argued that Kon committed crimes every time she was on duty and so could not be considered a first-time offender.
They further highlighted that most of her stolen money was gambled away and sought 18 to 20 months in jail.
Ultimately, the judge sentenced Kon to 17 months in jail.
Also read: Thai abbot arrested over alleged embezzlement of S$11.7M for online gambling
Thai abbot arrested over alleged embezzlement of S$11.7M for online gambling
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Monkey Business Images on Canva. Right image for illustration purposes only.
