Mumbai woman books Diwali cleaning service via app and gets robbed of ₹4 lakh gold

A 55-year-old woman from Mumbai fell victim to a Diwali cleaning scam, losing gold jewelery ₹4 lakhs. She had booked the cleaning service through a mobile app, which sent two people to her home. The thieves allegedly stole the valuables during the cleaning work.

Two people allegedly stole the valuables while on duty.

The incident highlights concerns about the safety and reliability of hiring cleaning staff through online platforms. Police arrested Arbaz Khan, 27, and detained two others for questioning.

The robbery

Leena Mhatre, a resident of Rishikesh Society in Mumbai’s Dahisar, booked the cleaning service on October 21, in preparation for the Diwali festival. She booked the service from the NoBroker app. Two people arrived at her home around 9 a.m. the next morning. While they were supposedly cleaning, Mhatre later discovered that her closet had been opened and her gold jewelry was missing.

Mhatre only realized the theft after the cleaners left and quickly contacted the police to file a complaint. Authorities have since arrested 27-year-old Arbaz Khan, identified as the main suspect in the theft. After examining CCTV footage of the association, police identified two other persons, Santosh Omprakash Yadav and Sufiyan Nazeer Ahmad Soudar, who are currently being questioned.

Research and regulation

The Police investigate whether the app NoBroker conducted background checks on employees before hiring them, Free Press Journal reports. Constable Sandip Gorde said the regulations require police verification for all service workers, including cleaning staff, before being assigned to private homes.

“We are investigating whether NoBroker verified these employees before assigning them. The app has blocked their IDs since the incident,” Gorde told the Lokmat.

Despite the increasing popularity of online cleaning services, there is a disturbing lack of regulatory oversight in the sector. Most platforms promote themselves as reliable and professional, but few offer concrete evidence of thorough employee background checks.

This incident serves as a stark reminder for consumers to do so be careful when hiring services through digital platformsespecially in the absence of strict regulatory measures. Of Diwali just around the corner, the need for vigilance is more urgent than ever.