Rajkot: A theft case in the Malviyanagar police station area has become a warning for families who hire caretakers for elderly relatives, after a woman hired to look after an 88-year-old allegedly stole gold and cash worth lakhs within weeks of joining the household.Police arrested the accused, Basanti Kumari Meena, on Sunday and recovered Rs 14 lakh from her.Vipul Patel (58), who runs a diesel engine parts factory in Bhaktinagar, had sought a caretaker through Ramesh, a former household worker, who sent Meena, a young woman from Rajasthan. She joined on July 15 and it was agreed to pay her Rs 18,000 a month for taking care of Patel’s mother and doing household chores. She lived with Patel’s family at their residence.On Aug 11, Meena cited ill health and asked permission to go to her native village. Patel asked her to stay until a replacement was arranged, but when she insisted, he had her dropped at the Rajkot bus station on Aug 13. Soon after, when he was in need of cash, he found there was less cash than expected at home. On searching with his family, he discovered Rs 70,000 and gold jewellery were missing. He alerted police, reporting theft of ornaments worth Rs 16.7 lakh plus cash.Malviyanagar police and the Rajkot crime branch used technical surveillance to swiftly trace and arrest Meena. They recovered jewellery and cash worth roughly Rs 14 lakh from her.Police inspector J M Kaila told TOI that Basanti had initially cared well for the elderly woman and won the family’s trust, using the month to quietly study the household — routines, valuables, and where keys were kept — before striking.Patel also told police an earlier domestic worker had allegedly stolen two gold bangles, a matter now under review.Police have urged residents to verify caretakers’ Aadhaar and identity proof, seek references from previous employers, get police verification done, and keep full records of staff details.
