Mumbai: An incident involving a house help absconding with gold and silver ornaments worth around Rs15.30 lakh has come to light in Malad area. The Malad police have registered a theft case against the runaway servant and are investigating. The servant, identified as Nitish Kumar, is a native of Ferozegarh, Madhubani, Bihar. The FIR was registered on October 4.
According to the FIR, Manan Kamal Podar, 36, a businessman living in Malad (West), owns a company called Lippin Exports Pvt Ltd, which manufactures abrasive powders. Manan and his father are always out for work during the day while his mother stays at home. To assist with household chores, they hired Nitish Kumar, 19, as a housekeeper in July 2023. Nitish worked for them for four months, sleeping in the kitchen after his day’s work. However, in November 2023, he left the job and returned to his hometown in Bihar. After Nitish’s departure, Manan hired another person named Ramwatar.
On June 1, 2024, Nitish Kumar unexpectedly returned to the house and requested to be rehired. Manan agreed, and Nitish resumed his duties. However, on July 30, Nitish suddenly left the house without informing anyone. The family tried contacting him, but he did not respond, and his phone remained switched off for two days. They assumed he had quit again.
On October 4, 2024, Manan opened the locker in his cupboard and found that various gold and silver ornaments worth Rs15.30 lakh were missing. After searching the house, the family found no trace of the missing valuables. During this period, no one besides Ramwatar Basodas, 28, and Nitish Kumar had entered their house. Given Nitish’s sudden disappearance, Manan suspected him of theft and reported the incident to the Malad police.
Based on his complaint, the police have registered a theft case against Nitish Kumar under sections 306 (theft by servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
