Two house helps drug four in Gurugram bungalow, decamp with jewellery

Two newly hired house helps, including a woman, have been booked by Gurugram police for allegedly drugging and robbing the owner, her mother and two other domestic helpers of jewellery and other valuables worth several lakhs of rupees. The incident took place on 22 June in a bungalow located near the residences of the Gurugram police commissioner, deputy commissioner and politicians. The suspects hail from Nepal and their activities were recorded in CCTV footage. Attempts are being made to trace the duo with the help of the footage.

Police booked two newly hired house helps, including a woman, for allegedly drugging the owner, her elderly mother and two more domestic helps in a Civil Lines bungalow and decamping with jewellery and other valuables worth several lakhs of rupees, Gurugram police said on Monday.

Gurugram, India-June 26, 2023: The house located at Civil Lines near DC Camp office where servants drug four including house owner, decamp with valuables two servants including a maid were booked for allegedly drugging her owner, in Gurugram, India, on Monday, 26 June 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)(Pic to go with Debashish Karmakar's story)

Police said the incident took place on the night of June 22 in one of the oldest bungalows in the city. Incidentally, the residences of the Gurugram police commissioner, deputy commissioner and politicians are all located in its vicinity.

Police said the suspect woman, identified as Anita (22), had started working for the family approximately two months back, while the other suspect, Jagat, aged about 35 years, was employed only 10 days back.

Investigators said a person close to the bungalow owner, Navin Pal Singh Yadav (50), had recruited both the suspects.

As per police, both the suspects hail from Nepal and their activities were recorded in the CCTV cameras placed inside the bungalow.

Police said the duo’s exact address was yet to be ascertained as Yadav had not collected their identity proofs for police verification.

Yadav submitted a complaint on Sunday evening on the basis of which an FIR was registered against the duo under Section 34 (common intention), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) and 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Civil Lines police station, police said, adding that the complainant had fallen ill after consuming the sedatives due to which he could not approach police earlier.

Yadav had alleged in the FIR that the duo had served them tea and milk laced with sedatives which made him and her 75-year-old mother and the two other helpers — Keshav and Jameer — feel dizzy.

“The duo later broke open an almirah and started collecting valuables. In between, I received a call from Jameer’s uncle who said he had fallen ill. I came downstairs to find Jameer dizzy. I left for a medical store to purchase medicines. As soon as I returned and climbed upstairs, the suspects ran away with gold ornaments,” Yadav said.

Police said that the sedatives failed to show its full effect due to which the four victims fell ill but did not lose their consciousness. They said the duo were able to target only an almirah as cash and more jewellery kept in other cupboards were left intact.

HT tried to get in touch with Yadav but calls and messages were unanswered.

Subhash Boken, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said attempts are underway to trace both the suspects with the help of CCTV camera footage. “We are trying to get their details from the person who had introduced them to Yadav. They will be arrested at the earliest,” he added.