Get your domestic help verified: Mumbai police

Rahul Kamat was nabbed on a train in Bhusawal as he was headed to his native place after stealing at his employer’s house; (right) The loot the police recovered from Kamat

The Mumbai police have time and again warned citizens to get the police verification of their domestic help done, but most continue to hire them without doing so. Recent crimes in houses at Khar and Versova have proved that citizens will only benefit by getting their domestic help verified. The employers in these cases had failed to do so.

The police said the modus operandi involves getting hired as a caretaker, or cook, houseboy, housemaid and ayah and they also stay at the employer's residence. The police found that the criminals even worked honestly while planning thefts. Working and staying at their employers' houses makes it easy for them to note the habits of people, where they keep money and valuables in the house and also their timings of going to school, work, etc. The police said the criminals win the trust of their employers by even working for 2-3 years for them. But on getting the first opportunity, they steal and flee with the loot to their native places.

‘No picture of accused'

PSI Hanmant Kumbhare of Khar police station said, "Khar resident Mahesh Gandhi's, 55, hired domestic help, Rahul Kamat, worked for him for the past 3 years. Kamat would bring vegetables and clean the house. On August 18, Gandhi and his family went for a function to Udaipur and the house help fled with R50 lakh and gold jewellery. We didn't have any photo of the accused and details about him. The Gandhi family didn't have a picture of him. So we took grabs from CCTV cameras in the society and identified him. We then traced his location and found that he was going to his native place by train and informed railway police who nabbed him at Bhusawal railway station with the stolen gold, cash and valuables."

"The Gandhi family had not done a police verification of Kamat. Police verification helps the employers get details of the house help, his relatives, his family members, his criminal record and his native place which helps us trace them easily. People who have domestic help staying at their houses should do their police verification," PSI Kumbhare further said.

‘He saw ID and password'

The Versova police on Monday managed to nab a house help who worked for a senior citizen for some months. The senior citizen couple's sons stay abroad and regularly send them money. The police said the accused withdrew R1 lakh from the senior
citizen's account.

The accused was identified as Mohammad Asim Mohammad Shamin Khan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh. The police said last week the accused saw the ID and password of the senior citizen while he was doing an online transaction at home.

Speaking to mid-day, PSI Nagesh Misal of Versova police station said, "The accused Asim Khan saw the ID and password of the senior citizen. He withdrew around R1 lakh by using the ID and password. When the senior citizen received a message about the transaction, he informed the bank and the police about it."

"During investigation we found that the accused had transferred the money into his account and stopped coming to work. We nabbed him soon after and he confessed to the crime. We sent his mobile phone to the forensic lab for more details. We also found that the senior citizens had not done police verification of Khan. Now we are checking his criminal background," PSI Misal further said.

DCP Zone 9 Manjunath Singe said, "Police verification of the domestic house help helps the employers and us to trace them if any incident happens. In many cases we don't get a photo of the house help but have to procure it through CCTV cameras and other sources. Citizens can do police verification online [Mumbai police website] and offline. They can get a form at the police station and submit the details of the house help. Through police verification we get the details of the house helps and we can check his history, where he worked, and his criminal background if he has it. Police verification is for the safety of the people."

Precautions for employers

. The house help should not be hired on the references of his/her relatives working nearby
. Collect the details of the house help including their photos, fingerprint details, mobile number and previous employee details and submit these details at the nearest police station for the police verification
. Don't allow house helps' relatives and friends at your house
. Never remove jewellery and valuables in front of the house help
. Never talk about money or any important things in front of the house help
. Always closely observe your house help to ensure he/she is not into suspicious activities
. Never let the house help know where you keep cash, gold ornaments and important keys