Stolen Jewels, Stolen Hearts: Romantic ruse prompts domestic help to steal Army Major’s jewels

Hridesh Kumar, the deputy commissioner of police for the Eastern district of Lucknow, said the accused has been identified as Shamim Bano, a 32-year-old resident of Chowk.

LUCKNOW A story journeying from love to larceny unfolded when a female domestic aide, in a bid to facilitate her paramour’s airborne arrival, snatched jewels worth ₹15 lakh from the residence of an Army Major in the Cantt area of Lucknow. However, in an unforeseen twist, it was found out that even the domestic help was being tricked by her online boyfriend, who, in fact, was a cyber thug.

The two accused have now been booked under IPC sections 381, 380, and 411. (HT File)

“The two accused have now been booked under IPC sections 381, 380, and 411,” said cops, as they recovered the stolen gems, pledged at a local jewellery shop by the accused woman.

Hridesh Kumar, the deputy commissioner of police for the Eastern district of Lucknow, said the accused has been identified as Shamim Bano, a 32-year-old resident of Chowk. She worked at the residence of Surekha Rao, an Army Major originally from Bengaluru.

The heist occurred on Tuesday, prompting the victim to file a grievance at the Cantt police station. “A systematic siphoning from the cabinet emerged as the telltale sign of an insider’s involvement,” the DCP said. He added, “When subjected to rigorous interrogation, the domestic help revealed the truth.”

Elaborating further, Vinod Kumar Tiwari, the SHO presiding over the Cantt jurisdiction, said, “The domestic aide, lured into cross-border love, engaged in digital conversations with an alleged foreigner. Soon, this man asked her to bankroll his air travel to Lucknow. This led her to initiate a scheme within the very halls she served.”

The cybercrime angle of the case is being investigated separately, said police.