Woman Law Student Plants Friend As Help In Rs 30 Lakh Heist In Delhi: Cops

A woman pursuing a law degree allegedly masterminded a theft by planting her friend as a domestic help who fled with Rs 30 lakh just two days after joining a house in northwest Delhi's Model Town, an official said on Tuesday.

Three women, including Rajni (27) who orchestrated the theft with meticulous planning, have been arrested, the official said.

"To avoid detection, her associate Shilpi (19) used a forged identity card bearing the name 'Tanveer Kaur' and got herself hired as a live-in maid through a domestic help agency," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said.

The incident came to light on June 12 when a PCR call about a house theft was received. The complainant, Dr Anil Raheja, told police that his newly hired maid and her friends had fled with Rs 30 lakh in cash and a mobile phone from his residence, the DCP said.

A case was registered under Section 306 (theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master) of the BNS and an investigation was launched.

CCTV footage and technical surveillance led the team to the accused, who were traced to Meerut, he said.

A raid was conducted, resulting in the arrest of Shilpi, who had posed as the maid, and Rajni, the alleged mastermind.

"Rajni, who is currently studying law, planned the entire crime with Shilpi and another accomplice, Neha Samalty (25), who was later arrested from Saharanpur," the officer added.

Police recovered Rs 10.07 lakh in cash, an empty mobile phone box and mobile accessories from Shilpi's possession. Rs 12.5 lakh in cash and the stolen mobile phone were seized from Rajni's possession.

Based on their disclosure, Neha was apprehended and Rs 50,000 in cash along with a mobile phone used in the crime was recovered from her.

Preliminary investigation suggests all three are first-time offenders who turned to crime for quick financial gain. Police said the job was obtained by Shilpi using fake documents provided to a servant provider agency, and she had started living at the complainant's house barely 48 hours before committing the theft.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)