Bhubaneswar: A 24-year-old babysitter was arrested on Sunday for stealing jewellery, expensive sarees and household items from two houses in the Chandrasekharpur area. Ornaments worth over Rs 25 lakh were recovered from her possession, police said. Priyanka Raul of Angul district was working as a domestic help in these two houses. Police said she was hired by two women through a private agency.The case came to light after a woman from the housing board colony lodged a complaint on Saturday alleging theft of jewellery and valuables from her home. During the investigation, suspicion fell on Raul, and a search of her residence led to the recovery of several gold and silver ornaments, two smart watches and Rs 6,000 in cash.Although Raul initially claimed ownership of the seized items, she failed to produce any purchase receipts. Police personnel found a crucial lead in the bar codes engraved on two silver ornaments. By tracing the bar codes to a jewellery store, police identified another rightful owner — a woman residing in Kanan Vihar under Chandrasekharpur police station limits.“When we contacted her, she was unaware that her silver ornaments had been stolen. On verification, she was shocked to discover that several other gold and silver ornaments and her expensive sarees were missing from her cupboard,” said ADCP Sunaram Hembram.“She worked as a babysitter and maid for the last few weeks, which gave her easy entry into the homes. She exploited the trust of her employers and stole the articles over the days,” Hembram said. As of now, police have not found any previous criminal record against Raul and are probing whether she had committed similar thefts elsewhere.
