SINGAPORE - A cleaner who stole his 83-year-old mother's ATM card and withdrew a total of $21,776 over five months was sentenced to five months' jail on Friday (Dec 30).

Mohamed Nasir Salim, 57, faced 48 charges. He pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including theft of Madam Maznah Mohd Noor's POSB ATM card at the Woodlands flat in August 2015.

A district court heard that Madam Maznah discovered her ATM card missing in August 2015. She subsequently checked her POSB account and found out that there were several Nets transactions and cash withdrawals made from her savings account.

She suspected that her son might have taken it. She did not make any report until April 27, 2016.

Upon Nasir's arrest, he admitted that he had stolen his mother's POSB ATM card from the flat without her permission or knowledge.

He had obtained the card's personal identification number from her previously.

The amount involved in the proceeded charges is $10,000. Nasir withdrew the amounts at unknown locations.

He has previous convictions for motor vehicle theft, drug possession and consumption.

His sentence was backdated to Nov 8.

He could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined for theft.

For knowingly causing the POSB computer server to perform a function for securing access to the complainant's bank account to withdraw money, he could have been fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to two years per charge.