Maid arrested after stealing gold, cash to repay daughter's wedding loan

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

Police have arrested a woman who allegedly stole gold ornaments from her employer's house to repay a loan taken for her daughter's wedding. The arrested has been identified as Shanthi alias Lakshmi (40), a resident of Vivekananda Complex, JP Nagar 2nd Phase. Authorities have recovered 143 grams of gold ornaments, valued at ?14.30 lakh, from her possession.

According to Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, Shanthi had been working as a domestic help for three years at the residence of Ayesha Siddiqua, a private school teacher in JP Nagar 2nd Phase. Ayesha's family had placed immense trust in Shanthi, allowing her access to all parts of the house, including the bedroom. The accused allegedly exploited this trust to steal the gold ornaments.

On May 1 7 , Ayesha opened her wardrobe to retrieve gold ornaments – four bangles and one necklace – that she had previously used for a rela- tive's wedding and then stored back. She discovered the ornaments were missing. Immediately, she questioned Shanthi, who denied any involvement in the theft.

However, Ayesha noticed that the wardrobe had been unlocked using its key, which was then returned to its original place. This raised her suspicion, leading her to file a complaint at the police station, explicitly naming Shanthi as a suspect. Upon being taken into custody and interrogated, Shanthi confessed to the theft. She revealed that she had sold the gold ornaments at jewellery shops in Konanakunte and Mico Layout. Commissioner Singh confirmed that the stolen items have since been recovered.

The operation was carried out by JP Nagar Police Inspector V . Harish and his team. Sources revealed that the accused, Shanthi, had married off her daughter six to seven months prior and had accumulated a debt of ?6 lakh for the wedding expenses. As she was unable to repay this loan with her regular salary, she resorted to stealing and selling the gold ornaments from Ayesha's house.