Husband-wife held for cheating people in garb of domestic helps

The Delhi Police has busted a husband-wife gang in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji area for allegedly cheating people on the pretext of providing domestic help, officials said on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Gaurav Mandal (24) and his wife Sita (22), residents of Tughlakbad village, they said.

Mandal has opened a fake placement agency, Greater Kailash Maid Service, through which he used to send his wife Sita as a maid by charging hefty commission.

Sita used to flee after collecting the commission amount, a senior officer police said.

On Saturday, a woman lodged a complaint that she hired a domestic help from Greater Kailash Maid Service and the maid ran away after collecting the commission amount of Rs 33,000.

"She alleged that around 2.40 pm, one Chandu came to her house with Sita and produced her as help. Chandu took Rs 33,000 from her as commission. Around 7 pm, the help left the house of the complainant without her knowledge. The complainant checked the agency and fund that no such maid service agency was found there," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said.

During investigation, the police apprehended the accused persons from Tughlakabad, he said.

Interrogation revealed that they came to Delhi and started working as labourers and maids in south Delhi. Later, they came in contact with a maid providing agency who used to cheat the house owners, the DCP said.

Later, the couple started duping people on the pretext of supplying domestic help through their own fake placement agency.

Sita used to go as help in houses and collect commissions and disappear from there. Sometimes, she used to steal valuables from the houses also, Biswal said.

One phone and Rs 17,500 were recovered from the duo, the officer added.