Domestic help robs former employers' homes with duplicate keys

A 38-year-old domestic help has been arrested for robbing the homes of two former employers in Mumbai's Kherwadi area using duplicate keys she got made while working there, police said on Sunday.

As accused Raksha Rani Bhamne robbed the flats with duplicate keys and there was no sign of break-in, the two households did not suspect anything amiss despite a combined loot of Rs 5 lakh, a Kherwadi police official said.

"She worked at both places for one year and gained their trust after which the families gave her a set of keys, since they would be out at work for most part of the day. When she left the jobs, she returned the keys but only after making a duplicate set," he said.

One of the families, after finding money missing, changed the lock on their main door, he said.

"Bhamne was trying to open this new lock with an old key when she was spotted by another domestic help who alerted the family and the police. Bhamne was arrested and the loot recovered. She claimed she took to robbing homes to clear debts," said Assistant Sub Inspector Pandurang Lonkar.