Matunga Police have arrested a domestic help for allegedly stealing gold jewellery worth around ₹11 lakh from the residence of a woman Police Inspector in Dadar. The theft took place at a railway police colony, where the accused woman was employed for household cleaning work.
The accused has been identified as Kavita Shinde. Following her arrest, police recovered stolen gold ornaments worth approximately ₹10.25 lakh from her possession. The court has remanded her to police custody, and officials said efforts are underway to recover the remaining jewellery.
The complainant, Rashmi Pangshe, is a Police Inspector with the Maharashtra Police and currently resides in the Police Inspector building of the Dadar Railway Police Colony along with her five-year-old daughter. A woman named Monika was already working at her home and had introduced Kavita Shinde as an additional domestic help. Kavita had been working regularly at the house since January 2025, but she quit the job in November 2025.
Rashmi Pangshe’s mother, who was undergoing cancer treatment, had been staying with her and had kept some of her gold jewellery at the house. After her mother’s death in 2021, the jewellery was securely stored in a locker inside a cupboard.
In June 2025, when Pangshe’s father visited the house, she showed him the jewellery and asked him to take it along, but he advised her to keep it safely at home. That was the last time she saw the ornaments. Subsequently, the key to the locker went missing. Despite searching extensively, it could not be found. When questioned, Kavita Shinde allegedly gave evasive replies, but due to work commitments, the matter was not pursued further.
On January 3, 2026, Pangshe called a locksmith and had a new key made to open the locker. Upon opening it, she discovered that gold jewellery worth around ₹11 lakh belonging to her late mother was missing. The theft was found to have occurred between June 2025 and January 2026.
Suspecting Kavita Shinde, who had worked at the house during that period before quitting in November, Pangshe lodged a complaint at Matunga Police Station. After verifying the complaint, police registered a case of theft against the accused.
During the investigation, Kavita Shinde was detained for questioning. Initially, she denied any involvement and attempted to mislead the police. However, after sustained interrogation, she confessed to the crime and handed over stolen gold jewellery worth ₹10.25 lakh to the police. She was subsequently arrested in connection with the case.