SINGAPORE, Oct 19 — A Taiwanese tourist’s holiday in Singapore took a distressing turn when he allegedly lost S$3,000 (RM9,789) in cash at a Sentosa hotel — a theft he claims was committed by a housekeeper.

According to Singapore-based news outlet AsiaOne, 28-year-old Chang Shuoyang claimed the money disappeared while he was staying at Village Hotel Sentosa on Friday.

In a post on Threads, Chang wrote that he had checked into the hotel the night before and left his cash — placed in a Marina Bay Sands plastic bag — on a white counter in his room before heading out to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore.

“When this happened, I felt so helpless,” he wrote in Chinese. 

“The hotel manager said he really trusts his staff and there was no way such an incident would happen.”

Chang, a property agent, said he searched through the hotel’s rubbish collection in desperation until police arrived. 

Officers later found the same plastic bag in the housekeeper’s storage locker, he claimed.

“The hotel manager was really shocked when the police found the plastic bag I used to put my cash. Because the Sentosa hotel would not have a Marina Bay Sands bag!” he wrote.

The housekeeper reportedly denied taking the money but was taken away for further questioning. 

Chang added that the hotel has yet to offer an apology or compensation.

“This totally changed my image of Singapore,” he said, describing it as his first experience of theft at a high-end overseas hotel.

Police told AsiaOne that they received a call for assistance at 10 Artillery Avenue — the address of Village Hotel Sentosa — at 1.35pm on Friday. 

A 34-year-old woman is currently assisting with investigations for the offence of theft in dwelling.

AsiaOne said it has reached out to the hotel for comment.