Bengaluru crime news: 3 'housemaids' use Facebook to steal valuables, arrested
Three Mumbai-based women, who used Facebook to advertise their ‘services’, were arrested by Bengaluru police for stealing gold, silver and other valuables from the houses where they posed as housemaids.
Three women - aged 26 to 37 - have been arrested by Bengaluru Police in Mumbai after they used Facebook to 'advertise' their services as housemaids and rob households that employed them. Media reports indicate all three - Priyanka Rajesh Mogre, 29; Mahadevi, 26; and Vanitha, 37 - are habitual offenders. They claimed the theft of valuables from a house in Bengaluru's Hennur was the first in the Karnataka capital after several in Mumbai.

Dr Bheemashankar S Guled, the deputy commissioner (East) of Bengaluru Police, tweeted: "Hennur team investigated and followed this gang for last two months and finally they caught the notorious gang. Well done team..."
"Hennur police arrested a gang of lady thieves and recovered 250 gm of gold and 100 gm silver... this gang would work as a house maid and then commit theft in the same house. Vanita, ringleader, was wanted in 37 such cases by Mumbai," he said.
The three reportedly advertised 'housemaids services' on a Facebook page called 'Refer House maids, Bangalore' - the link to which is still live at the time of writing. They also operated a website called www.homemaid.in - which is also live at the time of writing.
On receiving a query, one would take up the job and steal valuables from the house.
According to The Indian Express, the Bengaluru theft was carried out by Mahadevi, who did so just three days into her 'employment'.
The theft done, the trio fled back to Mumbai but Bengaluru Police followed and recovered 250 grams of gold and 100 grams of silver, among other items.
The Deccan Herald reported the three had changed their Bengaluru operation slightly from the usual tactic in Mumbai, where they made friends with security guards to find 'jobs'; they offered a month's salary as a bribe for the guard to recommend them to homeowners.
ABOUT THE AUTHORYamini C SYamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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