Ludhiana: Domestic help, aides flee with ₹8 lakh, 450gm gold jewellery

According to the complainant, the family had gone out for dinner on Sat Paul Mittal Road to celebrate his sister’s birthday when the domestic help committed the crime

A newly hired Nepalese cook, along with his three aides, fled with ₹8 lakh in cash and around 450 grams of gold jewellery from his employers’ house in Udham Singh Nagar while the family was away at a birthday celebration, police said. The accused, identified as Sunny who hails from Nepal, allegedly drugged a fellow house help and called in his three accomplices to execute the theft.

The accused, identified as Sunny who hails from Nepal, allegedly drugged a fellow house help and called in his three accomplices to execute the theft. (HT Photo)

The division number 8 police have registered a case under Sections 305 (theft) and 331(4) (house trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Sunny and his unidentified accomplices following a complaint by Parul Jain, a local businessman and resident of Udham Singh Nagar.

According to the complainant, the family had gone out for dinner on Sat Paul Mittal Road to celebrate his sister’s birthday on the night of the incident. The house was left in the care of his two domestic helps—Sunny, who was hired just a month ago, and Mahesh, a long-time worker. When the family returned around 11.25 pm, Sunny was missing. They discovered that the room of his parents had been broken into and the almirah ransacked. They immediately alerted the police.

Sub-inspector Amarjeet Singh, station house officer (SHO) of the division number 8 police station, said, “Sunny was hired as a replacement for another Nepal-based cook who had been working with the family for seven years. Sunny allegedly took advantage of Mahesh’s known alcohol addiction, got him drunk until he passed out and then called in his partners to carry out the theft.”

During preliminary investigation, CCTV footage captured Sunny and three other men heading towards the Ludhiana railway station shortly after the incident. Police suspect they may have boarded a train and are attempting to cross the border into Nepal.

The police also said that the family neither conducted any background verification nor collected any identity proof from Sunny before hiring him, making the investigation more challenging. Authorities are now trying to trace the suspects and have launched a manhunt in coordination with railway and border officials.