Domestic help, jeweller held for theft at retired Colonel’s house in Delhi

A domestic help, who allegedly stole valuables worth lakhs of rupees from a retired Army officer’s home, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Wednesday.

The police said that she sold the stolen valuables to buy an iPhone, a gold ring, and a two-wheeler.

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The jeweller, who helped her sell the stolen items, was also arrested by the police.

The duo has been identified as Zarina Begum, a domestic worker, and Ayush Soni, a jeweller who bought the stolen items at a throwaway price.

Police confiscated approximately 150 grams of gold jewellery, a gold ring, an iPhone, a scooter, and Rs 1.2 lakh in cash from the duo.

“We were informed about the theft on July 3, after which a complaint was registered at Madhu Vihar police station by retired Colonel P.S. Kamal,” a senior officer said.

In his statement, the victim reported that a significant quantity of gold and silver ornaments, along with a wristwatch and Rs 12,000 in cash, were stolen from his house.

With this information, an FIR was registered, and further investigation into this matter was taken up by the police.

The breakthrough came when they got their hands on Soni, a resident of Kalyanpuri and owner of a local jewellery shop.

“Soni was apprehended and later questioned about this case, in which he confessed to purchasing stolen gold jewellery from Begum, a part-time domestic help working at the complainant’s residence,” the officer said.

In his confession, Soni further disclosed that he melted some of the jewellery and converted it into new ornaments, which were later recovered during a raid at his shop.

Subsequently, the police held Begum from Khicdipur. During questioning, she confessed to the crime, admitting that she had stolen valuables from the complainant’s house and sold them to Soni.

“Zarina wanted to quickly uplift her living standard and acquire costly items, while Ayush Soni sought to profit by buying stolen jewellery at cheap prices, remodelling them, and selling them at market rates,” the senior officer said.

The officer added that neither of the accused has any prior criminal history and that further investigation is underway.