A CABBY ended up driving his fare straight to the police station when he was alerted that she had burgled a house.

The incident happened after he got a call from headquarters informing him that the Indonesian woman that had booked his cab just made off with a RM10,000 (S$4,200) loot from her employer's house.

It began when a contractor's wife called him in a panic at about 2.30pm on Monday, reported Harian Metro.

She discovered that their house in Kuala Terengganu had been ransacked.

Hearing the news, her 48-year-old husband rushed home from his business meeting.

There, he discovered his stash of cash in several currencies missing.

The money, which he kept in his bedroom, amounted to RM10,000.

Then, they realised that their Indonesian maid was missing, along with her suitcase.

That caused him to suspect that the 25-year-old could be the culprit.

So he quickly headed to the bus station and the taxi headquarters to find her.

Superintendent K Manoharan, a senior spokesman for the state, said that his efforts paid off as the taxi company managed to locate the cab driver who picked her up.

They told him that she was already on the way to Kuantan, Pahang, and they radioed the cabby.

Once he got the news, the driver drove her straight to the police station in Kuantan.

The woman was apprehended at about 7pm and police found part of the loot on her. They are still searching for the rest.

Said Supt Manoharan: "After the man informed the taxi company's headquarters, he lodged a report at the police station in Kuala Terengannu at about 6.40pm.

"The suspect is now under arrest at the Kuantan station awaiting transfer to our Kuala Terengannu department.

"We really appreciate the quick and fast-thinking efforts of the man and the people at the taxi headquarters, which have helped to prevent this woman from escaping."

This article was first published in The New Paper on Nov 27, 2008.