Family hires lawyer to bail out 'thief' maid

MUMBAI: Ever heard of a theft victim himself trying to bail out the very person who stole gold from his house? Well, here’s a bizarre case where a Marine Drive family has hired a lawyer to secure bail for its domestic help who has been arrested for stealing ornaments from its house.
Swati Mehta (28) used to work with the Kumars (name changed) at their posh Marine Drive residence for eight years and over the period, they developed a strong bond, thanks to Swati’s loyalty and diligence.The Kumars got so fond of Swati that two years ago, when she got married, they helped her financially and even took part in her wedding rituals (performed her kanyadaan).
“After getting married, Swati stopped working for the Kumars as she had to look after her own family,’’ an officer from the Marine Drive police station said. “In mid-May, the Kumars’ new domestic help went on leave and when they could not find a replacement, they asked Swati to work for them for two weeks.’’
Earlier, the family had never bothered to put away their valuables when Swati was around and trusted her when she came back the second time. However, taking undue advantage of their trust, Swati reportedly flicked gold earrings and rings, worth Rs 65,000, lying around the apartment. Around a week after Swati left, the Kumars discovered that their ornaments were missing and reported it to the police. Initially, the family suspected the new domestic help, but after interrogations, the police were convinced that she had not stolen the valuables.
The investigators asked the family to give details of all the domestic helps who had worked with them earlier; besides providing information on the others, the Kumars, though reluctantly, told them about Swati and added that they did not suspect her of any foul play.
However, during interrogations, Swati confessed to the crime. But the Kumars did not believe the police, until they recovered the stolen booty from Swati’s home in Virar. Swati, in her statement, said she had stolen the ornaments as her family was poor and she wanted to keep the jewellery as “something to fall back on in times of dire need’’.
The Kumars were hurt by Swati’s breach of trust but their love for her did not wane. Now, they have hired a lawyer for her and are even ready to pay for her bail, so that she could return to her family—the Kumars’ argument is that poverty forced her to commit the theft, otherwise she would not have done it.
The accused, booked under Section 379 of the IIPC for theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master, has been sent to jail custody till July 6.
The investigating team comprised assistant police inspector Kishor Shinde, head constable Shankar Apte and constables Satish Sawant, Kamlesh Jathar and Santosh Bhomble.