A 37-year-old woman, working as a house help, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly stealing a diamond necklace, a diamond ring and a gold chain, collectively worth Rs 5.30 lakh, from her employer’s residence in Santacruz (West) in January. This is the 30th case against the accused, Vanita Gaikwad, who is a habitual offender and usually targets upscale buildings in the Mumbai metropolitan Region (MMR), said the police.

According to officers of Santacruz police, Gaikward stole the valuables between January 8 and 10 — within two days of being appointed. The complaint was registered on January 11.

According to the Santacruz police, Gaikwad was last arrested by the Khar police in 2018 and has targeted four more residences in Oshiwara, Juhu, Versova and Santacruz between January and March 2019.

Officers said she has been stealing since she was a little over 18 years old. Explaining her modus operandi, officers said the woman, who is 5.2ft tall, approaches building watchmen, who generally know if any residents require house help. “Watchmen direct her to employers. When the employers ask her for documents for police verification, she tells them she will submit the same in a few days. She targets the house on the first day of work and never returns after stealing,” said an officer of Santacruz police station.

Officers said this is why citizens should get verification of their domestic helps done before they employ them or on the first day.

The police also said that whenever Gaikwad is arrested, she pleads guilty in front of the judge to get minimum quantum of sentence and save the fee for an advocate and money for bail bond. “She does that to get out of jail and commit the crime again. She even gave birth to one of her children in Byculla jail in 2007,” said another officer.

First Published: Mar 29, 2019 11:52 IST