Domestic helps from Nepal steal jewellery worth Rs 2 crore from bizman’s Jubilee Hills house, flee

HYDERABAD: Two domestic helps allegedly stole jewellery worth nearly Rs 2 crore from the residence of businessman Pingali Anirudh Reddy in Jubilee Hills. The house, located on Road No 25, was allegedly targeted by the couple, who were from Nepal and joined the household 45 days earlier, when the family was out of town.

According to police, the couple, Mahesh Shahi, 32, and his wife Apsara Shahi, 25, worked at the residence as household staff. Mahesh was responsible for gardening and cleaning the premises, while Apsara handled indoor chores and feeding the family's pet dog. The couple stayed in a room inside the house, while other workers attended duty during the day and returned to their homes in the evening.

About a week ago, the homeowners informed the workers that they would travel to their Ooty house in connection with their real estate business. Anirudh Reddy left for Ooty two days earlier, while his wife Deepika Reddy left the city on Friday.

"The theft came to light on Sunday morning after a neighbour called and informed the family driver that the outside area of the house was not cleaned as usual, raising suspicion. When the premises was checked, the lockers inside the house were found broken open. Tools such as iron rods, a hammer, and knives appear to have been used to force open the lockers," Jubilee Hills inspector (Detective) M Satyanarayana said.

A preliminary inspection revealed that gold and diamond ornaments, and expensive watches worth approximately 2 crore, were missing. During further verification, it was also discovered that the Nepali domestic workers, Mahesh Shahi and Apshara Shahi, were no longer present in the house and could not be traced.

Police suspect the couple might have taken advantage of the owners' absence to commit the theft. A case was registered and investigation teams began examining CCTV footage from the area and gathering technical evidence to trace the accused and recover the stolen property. Authorities were also verifying the background of the suspects and questioning others connected to their employment as part of the ongoing investigation.

Investigators said the couple was recommended for the job by former helps Harat Singh and his wife Rima Singh. Police were now examining their role as part of the ongoing investigation.