Delhi Police have recorded 173 cases and 208 arrests linked to alleged thefts by domestic helps and other household employees over the past 18 months, while investigators have warned employers about inadequate verification and record-keeping.
Police data cited by the Times of India shows that 62 cases were registered and 69 people arrested in employee-related thefts until August this year. In 2025, police recorded 111 cases and 139 arrests. The figures cover cases in which employees were allegedly involved in thefts from homes, businesses or other premises where they had access to household routines and security arrangements.
The cases include an alleged Rs 36 lakh robbery staged near Zakhira flyover earlier this month by a businessman’s employee, according to police. In another case, a domestic help allegedly stole from an employer’s home in northwest Delhi’s Bharat Nagar while the employer was abroad.
Investigators said the alleged motives vary, including financial distress, mounting debts, unfulfilled aspirations and the desire to maintain a high-end lifestyle. Police also said some employees are allegedly recruited or exploited by organised gangs that use their access to homes, valuables and daily routines to plan thefts.
According to investigators, employees may know when residents are away, how security arrangements work and where cash or jewellery is kept. In some cases, police said, trusted employees who had worked for years allegedly fled with money or valuables. Police also suspect that some gangs use forged documents or recommendations to place a member in a household. The person then allegedly spends days or weeks studying the family’s routine before helping accomplices enter and escape.
A June case involving a mobile phone shop in Karol Bagh illustrates how investigators say such access can be used. Police arrested four men within 24 hours after valuables worth nearly Rs 1 crore were stolen. One of the accused, identified by police as 24-year-old Ravi, was a trusted employee who allegedly masterminded the heist. Police said the group used a duplicate key and that Ravi later posed as an innocent employee and witness.
In April, a businessman’s family was held hostage during a dacoity at a bungalow in Golf Links, Lutyens’ Delhi. Police said a domestic help hired about a week earlier using a fake identity and without verification allegedly opened the main gate for an armed gang. The intruders allegedly held the businessman, his wife, daughter-in-law and minor grandson hostage for nearly 15 minutes before fleeing with cash and jewellery worth Rs 25-30 lakh.
A senior police officer said the lack of verification makes it difficult to establish an employee’s criminal background or determine whether submitted documents are genuine. Police have repeatedly advised employers to verify the antecedents of domestic workers before hiring them. The officer also urged employers to maintain details including family contacts, Aadhaar cards, home addresses and bank information, saying these records could help investigators trace employees when a crime is reported.
