Cook stole Rs 6.5 lakh cash, jewellery from Marathi actor’s home
Omkar Khandekar
Domestic help robbed from Ajinkya Deo’s family for three years until caught red-handed.
The Versova police have arrested a domestic help who was working at the house of veteran Marathi actor Ajinkya Deo for allegedly stealing cash and jewellery worth Rs. 6.5 lakh over a period of three years.
“Over the period of her employment, Kalpana started stealing cash and jewellery from their house,” said an investigating officer. “She would pick up cash that was lying around and also take it from the actor’s wife Aarti Deo’s purse. She also opened cupboards and stole jewellery and foreign currency that was not in the locker.”
The Deo household comprises six members --the actor and his wife, their two children, and their actor parents, Ramesh and Seema Deo. “Since the family has five servants, even as the valuables started going missing, they were unsure of who the culprit was,” said the officer. “At times when there were more people in the house, Kalpana would seize the chance to take more money. Like when the interiors were getting renovated, she stole Rs 20,000.”
On September 20, however, Kalpana was caught red-handed by family members while she was stealing from a purse lying in the bedroom, police said. This time the family informed the Versova police and she was arrested from her residence at Sagar Kutir in Seven Bungalows, Andheri. While the accused denied the burglary at first, she later confessed to it.
Ajinkya Deo cited the busy schedules of urban families, which can leave homes vulnerable to maids. He said that while they employed the maid without police verification, it was the need of the hour. “It is unfortunate that such an incident happened,” Deo said. “You have to be very careful about leaving things lying around and make sure you don’t trust the help blindly. We often hire the help by references only, but you need to inform the police. Even if these checks are clean and the maids are old hands, keep an eye out.”
The Versova police said they have recovered around 40% of the loot. “Investigations are on and we are trying to recover more,” said senior inspector Arundhati Rane. Kalpana has been remanded to police custody.
Domestic help robbed from Ajinkya Deo’s family for three years until caught red-handed.
The Versova police have arrested a domestic help who was working at the house of veteran Marathi actor Ajinkya Deo for allegedly stealing cash and jewellery worth Rs. 6.5 lakh over a period of three years.
According to the police, 25-year-old Kalpana Harishchandra Gawari used to visit the Deo family’s Versova residence twice a day to cook food and perform other domestic duties. She was also employed as a cook at the school the Deos ran for differently abled children. She usually spent a couple of hours a day at the Deo residence in the morning and evening.
“Over the period of her employment, Kalpana started stealing cash and jewellery from their house,” said an investigating officer. “She would pick up cash that was lying around and also take it from the actor’s wife Aarti Deo’s purse. She also opened cupboards and stole jewellery and foreign currency that was not in the locker.”
The Deo household comprises six members --the actor and his wife, their two children, and their actor parents, Ramesh and Seema Deo. “Since the family has five servants, even as the valuables started going missing, they were unsure of who the culprit was,” said the officer. “At times when there were more people in the house, Kalpana would seize the chance to take more money. Like when the interiors were getting renovated, she stole Rs 20,000.”
On September 20, however, Kalpana was caught red-handed by family members while she was stealing from a purse lying in the bedroom, police said. This time the family informed the Versova police and she was arrested from her residence at Sagar Kutir in Seven Bungalows, Andheri. While the accused denied the burglary at first, she later confessed to it.
Ajinkya Deo cited the busy schedules of urban families, which can leave homes vulnerable to maids. He said that while they employed the maid without police verification, it was the need of the hour. “It is unfortunate that such an incident happened,” Deo said. “You have to be very careful about leaving things lying around and make sure you don’t trust the help blindly. We often hire the help by references only, but you need to inform the police. Even if these checks are clean and the maids are old hands, keep an eye out.”
The Versova police said they have recovered around 40% of the loot. “Investigations are on and we are trying to recover more,” said senior inspector Arundhati Rane. Kalpana has been remanded to police custody.
