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India: Domestic help nabbed more than 50 times for committing house thefts

Mumbai - Woman kept changing her name whenever she got a new job

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Over the last 15 years, she has been arrested more than 50 times for allegedly committing house thefts while working as a domestic help.

According to crime branch of Mumbai police, Vanita Gaikwad, who keeps changing her name when she gets a new job, was arrested again on Thursday for allegedly stealing $2,500 (Dh9,183) from the home of Deepika Ganguly, a fashion designer, who had recently hired her.

A news report said that Ganguly had filed a complaint with the police recently about a domestic help whom she had hired. The woman told her that she had lost her documents and would submit the new ones to the police for clearance. All domestic workers are supposed to have police clearances while taking up jobs.

But within 10 days, Gaikwad allegedly stole cash from Ganguly’s home and disappeared. Thanks to CCTV camera footage, the police were able to identify Gaikwad, traced her and then arrested her. “She has been arrested over 50 times now,” Shashikant Pawar, an inspector of Mumbai Police, told the media. “She has also been convicted several times.”

The Covid-19 crisis has seen many women in Mumbai who engage in domestic work to return to their villages, resulting in a shortage of help. Consequently, demand is huge and people are willing to hire staff without checking their background and the police documents.

• India