Mumbai: Juvenile babysitter stole from employers and flaunted on Insta

The accused (right) uploaded a series of IG posts posing in a yellow garment stolen from her employer (left)

A series of Instagram reels, videos, and posts flaunting luxurious jewellery, designer clothes from Dubai and Singapore, an Apple Watch, branded cosmetics, and footwear, landed a housemaid at the police station after her employer discovered the theft of these items from their residence in Kandivali.

The accused admitted to stealing these items to maintain a lavish lifestyle and boost her social media presence, as well as impress her boyfriend, whom she financially supported by purchasing a motorcycle.

Accused (right) with the Apple watch she stole, matching the employer's (left)

After being apprehended by the police, the accused attempted to evade responsibility by playing the juvenile card and questioned her employer, Eshika Rajput's, decision to involve the police.

Eshika alleged that the accused, who was the babysitter, had plans to kidnap her child on the pretext of taking her for a walk in the society where the Rajput family resides.

The employers (left); the accused tried to boost her social media presence by posing with the expensive items she stole

"She attempted to kidnap my child on multiple occasions. She would repeatedly suggest taking my child to play at the building's ground, despite my explicit refusals," Eshika said.

Eshika's husband, Dharam Singh Rajput, who is a businessman and runs offices in Dubai and Singapore, said "The accused was too smart, as she would disconnect the CCTV wire in an attempt to not be caught on camera. There are six CCTV cameras installed at my house but she would disconnect them."

Eshika noticed on Instagram that the accused was wearing the same saree that she owned

"She was referred by someone but never told us that she was a juvenile and also never gave us her age certificate," the husband added.

Explaining the sudden disappearance of expensive items Eshika said, "After the initial 15 days after her employment, we noticed several items of our clothing, garments, shoes, jewellery, and other accessories were missing, which led us to believe they might have been misplaced."

Gold pendant of Eshika's that the girl allegedly stole

"On November 19, 2023, I noticed on Instagram that a mutual friend of mine had posted a photo on Instagram along with the accused and she was wearing a saree that belonged to me. I initially dismissed the incident, considering the possibility that she might have bought a similar, inexpensive imitation from the market," Eshika added.

Jewellery, gadgets missing

"For special occasions and rituals, I owned two necklaces, one with a gold pendant and the other with a diamond pendant which were usually kept in my room. These suddenly vanished. On questioning the accused about their whereabouts, I received no response. Despite thoroughly searching the entire house, we were unable to find them," said Eshika

"I recently bought an Apple Smart Watch, which my child often used to play with. This watch also went missing. When I asked the maid, she claimed to not know," Eshika added.

On suspicion that the accused was stealing items and showcasing them on social media, Eshika asked her to send her a friend request on Instagram, which was ignored.

Creating a dummy account

This prompted Eshika to create a dummy Instagram account from which she sent the accused a follow request. The accused immediately accepted the request.

"I was astonished to discover numerous photos, videos, and reels on her account with the items that belonged to me and my family members. Clothing such as sarees, hoodies, and the Apple watch, all worn by her in these posts, provided clear evidence that she had been stealing," said Eshika.

Cops summon accused

Presented with evidence of theft, including screenshots from Instagram showing the stolen items, the accused admitted to the theft.

Following her admission, the accused's sister brought the stolen Apple watch to the police station and returned it to me in the presence of the officer," Eshika said
"In an attempt to evade the charges, she fabricated an Aadhar card to misrepresent her age, which listed her as 15 years old. However, at the time of her employment, she had declared herself to be 18 years old. I came to know that the accused also stole gold chains and sold it, and had given the money to her boyfriend to purchase a bike," she added.