By Hsu Latt Phyu - Jan 16, 2025
Gold Crown Jewelry Distribution accused two long-serving female workers, with 7 and 8 years of experience respectively, of losing gold without any evidence, leading to their detention and legal prosecution. The workers are now facing significant difficulties as a result.
The business, located on Kyauk Kone Street, Sanchaung Township, Yangon Region, opened a case against the two workers, claiming the loss of 26 kyatsthars (16.6g) of gold. The accused workers were arrested at the police station in August last year.
"Both workers are unmarried women. One of them was tasked with delivering gold items, but it wasn’t something she could do without validation. She had to pick up and deliver items as instructed. When delivering items, she would always use the office vehicle, and the shop owner was the one holding the keys. The other worker delivered diamond. The owner would always accompany them. At one of the locations, which didn’t have CCTV, the owner was present. There was no footage showing anyone taking the items at Kyauk Kone Street, where CCTV was installed. Items were usually retrieved from the condo in Ahlone. In June, the shop claimed that items were missing but did not conduct a search on the second floor. Instead, they reviewed the CCTV footage of the third floor. However, the footage did not show who took the items or when they were taken. Despite this, the two workers were unfairly accused. Despite this, they unilaterally accused the two workers," said a close associate involved in the incident.
Before filing the case, the jewelry shop owner and the general manager initially claimed that only 12 kyatthars of gold were missing. However, when filing the case, they alleged the loss of 26 kyats of gold and pursued legal action under: Section 408: Criminal breach of trust by a clerk or servant concerning goldsmith work, and Section 381: Theft of gold items from the jewelry shop (alleging the loss of 90 kyatthars of gold).
The families of the two accused workers have sent petitions to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ministry of Legal Affairs regarding the case. As of now, over 10 court hearings have taken place, and the workers remain in detention.
"There’s one case with 26 kyatthars of gold and 90 kyatthars of gold. For diamond case, the case was open with 140 [units]. Despite this, they haven’t thoroughly investigated the accused worker (name withheld),” said a close associate of the workers.
The two accused workers were office leaders earning salaries of a little over 500,000 kyats. Their official working hours were from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, but due to their long tenure, they often worked beyond these hours, starting early in the morning and finishing late at night.
"They’ve been in detention for about five months now. Their families are struggling to visit them. Expenses are piling up, and things are getting difficult. Their families are just hoping that the workers will be proven innocent and released soon. Their legal counsel is working to sue back because they believe the workers are being unfairly accused," said a relative of one of the accused.
On June 20, 2024, two men in civilian dress came to the office on Kyauk Kone Street, Sanchaung and began investigating the workers about the incident. "All the workers denied involvement in the theft. Some workers even asked for the shop owner’s fiancé to be investigated, as he was also present during the time of the theft. The remaining staff stated that none of them could have taken the items. However, the couple sat in the living room, monitoring the CCTV and listening to what was being said. During this time, they forced the accused worker, Ma---, to kneel and apologize. They also made her promise in writing that she would not make such statements again in the future. The workers pointed out that, the complaint was filed in Sanchaung while items were reportedly lost at the condo in Ahlone. Previously, there had never been reports of missing items at the shop. Additionally, workers who wanted to quit their jobs or those who had unpaid wages were being pressured not to leave. The shop owner even forced the accused workers to kneel and apologize, and they were made to sign promises not to repeat such incidents," a close source said.
Currently, even the remaining workers at the shop are under suspicion and being closely monitored, sources revealed.
One of the two accused women is related to the shop owner and began working at the jewelry business with an initial salary of 80,000 kyats. After seven years of service, she is now facing legal charges.
