Mumbai woman books Diwali cleaning service on app, gets looted of ₹4 lakh gold
A 55-year-old Mumbai woman lost gold ornaments worth ₹4 lakh in a Diwali cleaning scam.
A 55-year-old Mumbai woman fell victim to a Diwali cleaning scam, losing gold ornaments worth ₹4 lakh. She had booked the cleaning service through a mobile app, which sent two individuals to her home. The thieves allegedly stole the valuables during the cleaning job.
The incident highlights concerns about the safety and reliability of hiring cleaning staff through online platforms. Police arrested Arbaz Khan, 27, and detained two others for questioning.
The robbery
Leena Mhatre, who lives in the Rishikesh Society in Mumbai's Dahisar, booked the cleaning service on October 21, in preparation for the Diwali festival. She booked the service of the NoBroker app. Two individuals arrived at her home the following morning around 9 am. While they were supposedly engaged in cleaning, Mhatre later discovered that her cupboard had been opened and her gold ornaments were missing.
Realizing the theft only after the cleaners had left, Mhatre quickly contacted the police to file a complaint. Authorities have since arrested 27-year-old Arbaz Khan, identified as the primary suspect in the theft. After examining CCTV footage from the society, police identified two other individuals, Santosh Omprakash Yadav and Sufiyan Nazeer Ahmad Soudar, who are currently being questioned.
Investigation and Regulations
The police are investigating whether the app NoBroker conducted background verification on the employees before hiring, reports Free Press Journal. Officer Sandip Gorde said that regulations require police verification for all service employees, including cleaning staff, before assigning them to private residences.
"We are looking into whether NoBroker verified these employees before assigning them. The app has blocked their IDs since the incident," Gorde told the Lokmat.
Despite the increasing popularity of online cleaning services, there is a troubling lack of regulatory oversight in the sector. Most platforms promote themselves as reliable and professional, yet few provide concrete evidence of thorough employee background checks.
This incident serves as a stark reminder for consumers to exercise caution when hiring services through digital platforms, especially in the absence of stringent regulatory measures. With Diwali just around the corner, the need for vigilance is more pressing than ever.
