Trusted servant in Ludhiana ‘wipes out ₹40L gold’, but ‘stealing’ baby’s bracelet gets her cuffed.

Ludhiana: "Stealing” a bracelet off a 10-month-old baby ended a domestic worker’s eight-year employment in arrest, unravelling how she had allegedly cleaned the family’s home of ₹40 lakh in gold over time.

Farmer Amaninder Singh Grewal reported the 50-year-old woman to the Salem Tabri police after noticing his daughter’s gold kada (bracelet) missing following the domestic worker’s shift on April 17. When the woman refused to return to work, the family searched their home and discovered a widespread, long-term theft.

The family alleges the domestic worker severed closed-circuit television wires to bypass security. A subsequent audit revealed the disappearance of 291 g gold jewelry — including necklaces, chains, and earrings — alongside cash and an iPhone 12.

“We treated her as a loyal worker and supported her financially through her daughter’s wedding and her husband’s death,” Grewal said. He noted the family had initially tried to recover the items privately before contacting authorities.

The investigating officer, head constable Manoj Kumar, confirmed that police had arrested the servant and charged her with theft and mischief under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. They also recovered the infant’s bracelet from the suspect and are interrogating her to locate the remaining stolen property.