A high-value theft has been reported from the Colaba residence of 65-year-old businessman Shah, who is engaged in the manufacturing of printing machinery. According to Shah, diamond earrings and a gold Rolex watch worth approximately ₹35 lakh have gone missing from his bedroom cupboard while he and his wife were away on a vacation. The couple suspects one of their domestic helpers, particularly a housekeeping staffer named Sudhir Kumar Bahadur Mahato, who left for leave a day earlier than scheduled without informing anyone.
Shah lives in Colaba with his wife and son. His residence is staffed by seven domestic workers, all of whom reside on the premises. These include cooks, housekeeping staff, and pet caretakers. Their activities are supervised by a household manager, Ritika, who works from 8:30 in the morning to 6:30 in the evening. The incident is believed to have taken place between June 1 and June 13, 2025, during which time the Shah couple had travelled to London for a holiday.
As per the complaint, Shah’s wife had placed a pair of diamond earrings and a used gold Rolex watch in her bedroom cupboard drawer on June 1. The next day, Shah was away at work and his wife had also stepped out, leaving the room unlocked. The cupboard key had been placed inside the house. On the morning of June 4, the couple left for London, leaving their son behind, who lives on the upper floor of the house and rarely interacts with the household staff. The bedroom remained locked in their absence, and the cupboard key was sealed and hidden in a secret location.
The couple returned from their trip on the morning of June 13. They found their bedroom in the same condition in which they had left it, and the sealed key was untouched in its hiding spot. However, later that night, when Shah’s wife opened the cupboard, she noticed that her diamond earrings were missing. The next morning, they checked again and found that the Rolex watch was also gone. Despite thoroughly searching the house and questioning their son and staff, the missing items could not be found. The son stated that he had not entered their room, and all domestic workers denied any involvement in the theft.
Amid the inquiry, it came to light that one of the housekeepers, Sudhir Kumar Bahadur Mahato, had gone on leave a day earlier than his scheduled departure—on June 8 instead of June 9—without informing anyone. Another staff member, Dharmendra Kumar, had taken leave on June 9 after proper intimation. This discrepancy led Shah to suspect that Mahato may have accessed the hidden key and stolen the valuables during the day on June 2.
In his complaint, Shah stated that someone from among the household staff had dishonestly stolen the items by locating the hidden key and opening the cupboard in their absence. The missing items include a used gold Rolex watch worth around ₹15 lakh and a pair of used diamond earrings valued at ₹20 lakh, bringing the total estimated loss to ₹35 lakh.
An FIR has been registered against all seven domestic staff members and the household manager at the local police station. The matter is currently under investigation, with special attention being given to Sudhir Mahato’s unexplained early leave.