Help stole valuables, hid them in cistern

Owing to high concentration of working couples in the city, the demand for domestic helps has seen a steady rise. As supply often falls short of demand, criminal elements take advantage of the situation.

They take up jobs of maids, servants, drivers and cooks and often hatch a criminal plan to encash on the demand.

Entrepreneur Amrita Singh (name changed on request), 52, and a resident of M-block in DLF City (Phase 2), fell prey to the malicious intentions of one such maid.

“I hired a full-time help from a placement agency in Delhi on March 17 this year. As most of my family members are working, we needed someone to take care of the household chores,” she said.

One day, Singh returned from work to find her house in a mess.

“I got an inkling that there was something amiss. Without saying a word to the maid, I went directly to my room. The cupboard was ransacked and the locker inside was completely empty,” Singh added.

Thanks to her presence of mind, Singh quickly locked the house from inside. “I calmly asked the maid whether she did it. She clearly denied and started crying,” she said.

Singh then moved to check the maid’s belongings. She entered the bathroom and found the flush lid was awkwardly placed. She opened the lid and found all the missing cash and valuables there.

“I was glad to have recovered whatever I thought was stolen but at the same time a feeling of insecurity crept over me. Those who you trust the most can actually cause maximum harm,” she said.

The family wanted to file a police complaint but after repeated pleas by the domestic help and the placement agency, they backtracked.

“The incident made me realise the importance of police verification before letting a domestic help even enter the house,” she added.

First Published: May 31, 2013 01:06 IST