Mumbai witnessed a shocking theft case after a cook allegedly fled with gold jewellery embedded with diamonds worth approximately ₹11 lakh and ₹4.5 lakh in cash from his employer’s residence in Malad. The accused, who had only recently started working at the house, committed the theft while the family was away and was later arrested from Delhi along with part of the stolen goods.
According to the police, the complainant Gaurav Ghuwalewala, a businessman residing in Malad, had employed six domestic workers, including two women. One of them was the accused, identified as Chhotu Mukhiya, a native of Bihar, who worked as a cook in the household.
On May 14, Ghuwalewala’s sister arrived from the United States with her daughter for a vacation. Two weeks later, on May 28, the entire family left for a pilgrimage to Ayodhya, while some domestic staff including Chhotu stayed back due to work obligations.
The theft came to light on May 31, when the family returned from Ayodhya. That night, Ghuwalewala’s mother noticed that the wardrobe in her room was unlocked. On inspecting it, she discovered that several pieces of gold jewellery adorned with diamonds and ₹4.5 lakh in cash were missing, amounting to a total loss of ₹15.5 lakh. She immediately informed her son, who then checked the entire wardrobe again but found no trace of the valuables. Suspecting foul play, he began questioning all the domestic workers, but no one admitted any knowledge of the incident.
Subsequently, the family lodged a formal complaint at Dindoshi police station. An FIR was registered against an unknown person and an investigation was launched.
During the probe, police grew suspicious of Chhotu Mukhiya, who had mysteriously stopped reporting to work soon after the family left for Ayodhya. He had reportedly developed a drinking habit, and the police suspected he might have carried out the theft to arrange a party for his friends. Further investigations revealed that he had fled to Delhi.
A special police team was dispatched to the capital and located Mukhiya in the Lajpat Nagar area. Upon interrogation, he confessed to the theft and explained how he executed it. On May 28, he had come near the building, taken the lift to the terrace, and entered the flat on the sixth floor through a window. He then stole the jewellery and cash from the wardrobe and fled to Delhi.
Police recovered a portion of the stolen jewellery from his possession and stated that efforts are underway to recover the remaining valuables. Following his arrest, Mukhiya was produced before a local court in Borivali, which has remanded him to police custody for further investigation.