Singer Kitchie Nadal’s home robbed

Kitchie Nadal. INQUIRER PHOTO

The Makati City police are searching for a house maid suspected of stealing cash and jewelry worth about half a million pesos from the residence of popular singer-songwriter Kitchie Nadal.

Investigators identified the maid as Andrea Rafael, 38, said to be a native of Nueva Ecija province, who was hired by the Nadal family on Sept. 2 through the Perpetual Help Employment Agency based in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

The alleged theft was discovered on Oct. 1 at the Nadal home in San Antonio Village, Makati, after the recording artist returned from an out-of-town gig in General Santos City.

A pouch containing jewelry worth P500,000 and cash amounting to P50,000 went missing from her mother’s closet, Nadal said in her complaint to the police.

A day earlier, Rafael, who was just on her fourth week on the job, packed up and left without prior notice, she said.

“We noticed she was gone when there was no food prepared for breakfast (the next day). We first thought, ‘baka nag-day off (maybe she took a day off),’” Nadal told the Inquirer on the phone on Friday.

She said they learned through their houseboy that the maid left the house at around 4:30 p.m. of Sept. 30 carrying two bath towels in plastic bags. Nadal’s mother Margie was out of the house that day.

Kitchie Nadal. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“Our houseboy asked her where she was going. She said she was just going out to take some clothes to the laundry shop,” Nadal recalled. “That’s when we got suspicious. Taking two bath towels to the laundry? Just two?”

“We are also complaining why the employment agency didn’t screen their employees very well,” Nadal told the Inquirer.

Case investigator PO2 Reynaldo Agustin said he had gone to the office of Perpetual Help Agency in Sta. Mesa to check the maid’s background.

“She was issued an NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) clearance. But we still have to double check this,” Agustin said.

He said the Nadals were convinced that it was their maid who made off with their valuables also because the house showed no signs of forced entry.