Man who looted employer's home arrested in Bihar

MUMBAI: A man who fled his employer's Khar residence with ornaments and cash collectively worth Rs 2 crore last month, was arrested in Bihar recently. Last month, a 30-year-old maid stole cash and diamond ornaments collectively worth Rs 4.78 lakh from a businessman's apartment in Kandivli, within hours of being hired.
Lal Sahu alias Raju initially claimed that the booty was with a Bihar police officer, for which the officer got dismissed from service.He had, in fact, hidden the loot in his backyard.
Lal Sahu alias Raju has committed similar thefts in the past and a few years back, had been arrested by the Agripada and Worli police in two cases; he was convicted in one of the cases. A Khar policeman said Sahu would visit the city at regular intervals in search of employment at the homes of businessmen, with the intention to loot them.
The businessman's family hired Sahu a while back and he gained their trust quickly. but he gained their trust quite fast, the police said.
Last month, the complainant decided to go to Mahabaleshwar on a four-day trip, and requested Sahu to accompany him, but the latter declined, claiming he was unwell.
As the victim had shifted to Khar recently and was renovating his residence, he permitted two workers to stay behind along with Sahu.
After the family left, Sahu broke open the cupboard lock, removed the gold and diamond ornaments, and cash. He put the booty in a bag and his clothes in another and told the other two workers left behind that he was off to join his employer in Mahabaleshwar. He then fled to his hometown in Bihar and hid the booty in his backyard.
He, however, went to his hometown and hid the booty near his house.
The Mumbai police, with the help of their Bihar counterparts, nabbed Sahu, who claimed that he gave the booty to a Bihar police officer. The officer was dismissed, but they did not find the booty, but then police could not find the stolen goods. The city police and the victim approached senior police officers and the Bihar officer's services were terminated. But the police failed to trace the ornaments.
Additional commissioner of police (west region) Vishwas Nangre-Patil said, "Our team went to Bihar again and took Sahu into custody for interrogation, after which he confessed to the crime." The cops then recovered the booty from Sahu's home. Sahu said he targeted the cop to settle a personal score, after which the city cops asked the Bihar police to reinstate the officer.
Sarita Patel, the accused, is on the run. The incident took place at the residence of businessman Deepak Dhar (35) at Vrindavan society in Devnagar. Dhar's earlier domestic help had quit work recently and he was looking for a replacement. "Patel landed up at Dhar's flat on Saturday and offered to work as a maid. She told the Dhars that she had heard about the job from her friends who worked as maids in the neighbourhood. She claimed to be proficient in all housework," a police official said.
The Dhars had guests over, when Patel knocked at their door, and were already finding it difficult to juggle housework. "Dhar asked Patel when she could join work. She told them that she could start immediately if he wanted her to. Dhar hired her on the spot without checking her antecedents. She was instructed to sweep the house," the official said.