Collaborative theft.

There was a case of missing money in Sandra's office, and the entire staff of the accounting department was suspended to pave the way for a smooth investigation.

It was only three months after Sandra was employed. She had hunted for a job for years after bagging her bachelor's degree. Margaret, Sandra's mom, was full of celebration on the day Sandra brought home her appointment letter. Three months later, the joy is cut short with the case of missing money.

Margaret received the news of the suspension with disappointment and anxiety.

"How did the money go missing?" Margaret asked her daughter.

"There is construction work going on in the organization. Some amount of money was kept in my office. The money was meant for the payment of the laborers on the construction site. To my greatest shock, the money went missing the following day."

After clearing her throat, Margaret asked further; "How could money be missing in your office? Did someone break into your office to steal the money? I am not getting the whole picture clear."

"We are four in the office—the chief accountant, two other junior accountants, and me. We all have our individual keys to the office," Sandra explained. "All four of us have been suspended."

"Hmmmm... Sandra! Sandra!! Sandra!!! I hope your hands are clean. I hope you know nothing about the missing money," Margaret asked her in a slow tone with a look that depicted the seriousness of the question.

"Mom, you are throwing these questions at me as if you don't trust me. Don't you trust your daughter?"

"It's not like that, my daughter. I need to ask you this question as a loving mother. It is only when you assure me of your innocence that I can back you in case of any legal tussle regarding the missing money," Margaret responded to her.

"I don't know anything about it, mom. I am ever the good girl that you trained."

"I am glad to hear that. I pray that the truth will be unraveled soon so that you won't continue to stay out of your job and suffer for something that you knew nothing about."

"Amen," Sandra responded to the prayers.

Two days later, Sandra received a mail from her boss to come to the office for an interview with respect to the investigation.

She showed the message to her mother.

"People that spread their belongings in the open for sun-drying are the ones that will panic when rain is preparing to fall. You have nothing to fear. You have my backing," Margaret assured her daughter.

Sandra went to the office the following morning, and she was grilled by a team of policemen in plainclothes.

"You were the last person that left the office that evening. What took you so long in the office?" The policeman asked her.

"I left the office at about 4 p.m. that I closed from work. I left many colleagues behind when I was leaving," Sandra responded to him.

"Well, you drove into this premises around 6 p.m. of the said day. You alighted from your vehicle and headed to the security office. Shortly after then, the security personnel left the office while you remained there. The CCTV record wasn't captured beyond this stage. What were you doing in the security office at that time?"

"I wasn't the one," Sandra denied vehemently with a trembling voice.

The policemen didn't argue further. They remained calm.

Shortly after then, the security personnel who was on duty the day that the money went missing was led in in handcuffs. Immediately he entered, uneasiness took over Sandra where she was sitting.

"Mr. Ben," a policeman, called on the security personnel. "Explain what transpired between you and Sandra on the evening of 24 January, 2024."

It was like a punctured balloon releasing the air speedily; Ben began to narrate everything to the surprise of Sandra.

"Sandra informed me of the money," he began. "We planned how to steal the money without any possible trace. She came to my office that evening as planned. I left her in my office and went out. I disrupted the CCTV cameras before proceeding with her to her office, where we carried the briefcase containing the money."

"What happened after you carried the money?" The policeman asked him.

"We shared the money equally."

"You and who?"

"Sandra and I," he responded.

"You shared the twenty million naira equally between yourselves, right?" The policeman asked.

"The money was 4 million," Ben countered the police.

Sandra nodded in agreement.

The nod called the attention of one of the policemen.

"What do you have to say?" He asked Sandra.

Haven realized that CCTV evidence was with the police, Sandra confessed to her role in the operation.

"Mr. Ben has explained it the way it happened. The money that we stole is 4 million naira, not 10 million naira."

The police did not engage her further. She was arrested and taken to the station with Ben. Throughout the process of arrest and detention, Sandra insisted that the amount they stole was 4 million.

The news of Sandra's arrest hit her mom very hard. She was disappointed and heartbroken. She quickly reached out to the family lawyer, Barrister Titus.

"Sandra has put my name and that of the family to shame. She connived with her company's security personnel to steal money belonging to the organization," she busted into tears.

"This is a total disappointment. However, it has happened. The only thing left is to handle the case in every way possible. Please, don't cry," Titus console Margaret.

The following day, Margaret and Titus went to the police station where Sandra was detained. Titus had a moment with Sandra during which Sandra insisted that the stolen money was 4 million naira.

Her boss insisted that it was four million naira.

"The company is trying to take advantage of the situation. Why claim the money was 10 million whereas the actual money was 4 million?" Margaret claimed.

"How are you sure that your daughter is saying the truth regarding the amount? Don't forget that she lied to you earlier by saying that she knew nothing about the issue. Can you still trust her?"

"The security personnel might have negatively influenced my daughter. Sandra is not a thief. I am ready to swim or sink with her. The case should be taken to the court," Margaret fumes.

"Madam," Barrister Titus called Margaret. "We have to be careful with this case. Sandra has confessed to her role. This is a collaborative theft. Who influenced who is immaterial. The most viable option is to go and beg Sandra's boss. Kneel down and beg him. Beyond the issue of the amount involved, Sandra is liable to be sentenced to a prison term after conviction. Let's plead for an out-of-court settlement. The stigma of being an ex-convict is huge. Back to the stolen sum, how are you sure that the company is not with evidence to back the claim of 10 million?"

Margaret heeded this advice from Barrister Titus. She went to the manager of the company to plead for mercy.

"I am a poor widow. Please, have mercy on us. I promise to recover whatever is left of the money from Sandra. If it requires me to go into hard labor to source the balance, I will do that." Margaret fell at the manager's feet, begging.

"Madam, stand up, please. I will discuss with the board of directors to know the next line of action," the manager responded.

The board decided to get what was left of the money from Sandra. She was relieved of her job and forgiven of the balance for the sake of her mother.

Margaret and her lawyer were full of appreciation for the company.

"I hope she has learned her lesson. Stealing is an ugly habit that ends in regret. We need to talk to her in this regard," Barrister Titus told Margaret.

Sandra returned home shamefully and soberly to continue job hunting once again.