The Malabar Hill police have arrested a domestic help for allegedly withdrawing ₹1.16 lakh unauthorizedly from the bank account of an 87-year-old woman.
According to police sources, the elderly complainant resides in Worli, Mumbai, with her specially-abled son. Her other son works abroad and sends financial assistance from time to time. To take care of her, a woman named Asunta used to stay with her day and night. However, when Asunta left for her village, the family hired Elaine Kujur alias Anju as a replacement.
The complainant, who used mobile banking for transactions, had Anju by her side during these activities, which allowed the accused to gain access to her ATM card and password.
On January 30, 2025, while checking her bank statement, the elderly woman discovered that between January 25 and 30, a total of ₹1,16,500 had been withdrawn through an ATM. Upon searching for her ATM card, she found it missing.
Meanwhile, Anju pretended to have a stomach ache and took ₹500 from the woman, claiming she needed to visit a doctor. She then disappeared, and her phone was switched off. Convinced that Anju was behind the fraud, the complainant approached the police.
Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under Section 306 of the BNS. During the investigation, it was revealed that Anju had fled to Goa to evade arrest and later returned to Mumbai after changing her SIM card to hide her identity.
Acting on a tip-off, the Malabar Hill police apprehended the accused and took her into custody. Initially, she tried to mislead the police, but after strict interrogation, she confessed to the crime.
The police sought her remand, and after hearing the arguments, the court sent the accused to police custody. Further investigation is underway.