Bengaluru: Women pose as maids on FB, steal from homes

Three women from Mumbai, experienced in stealing from apartments in which they worked as maids, allegedly used Facebook to pull off their first heist in Bengaluru.

Aravind, a businessman living near Horamavu Agara lake, had complained on May 6 about a theft at his apartment. The investigation took the Hennur police to Mumbai.

The arrested are Priyanka Rajesh Mogre, 29, Mahadevi, 26, and Vanita Gaikwad, 37. The police recovered 250 grams of gold, 100 grams of silver and other valuables from them.

Police said that Priyanka and Mahadevi, who were friends, got in touch with Vanitha, the mastermind, and started committing thefts. The women are habitual offenders in Mumbai but claim this is their first offence in Bengaluru.

In Mumbai, their modus operandi was to visit apartments, befriend security guards and find work. They would steal valuables from the apartments within three or four days and escape.

In Bengaluru, they used a different modus operandi. They posted messages on the Facebook page ‘Refer House Maids, Bangalore’. Aravind, who saw their post, hired Mahadevi. She used a fake identity: Subbalakshmi from Dakshina Kannada district.

A team headed by inspector Vasanth Kumar and sub-inspector Ningaraj K H arrested the women. Bheema Shankar S Guled, the deputy commissioner of police (east), said Priyanka, who has studied till PUC, was active on social media and had posted the message on Facebook. Mahadevi started working at Aravind’s house on May 3 and stole the valuables on May 6.

Hennur police say the women are on the Mumbai police’s ‘most wanted’ list, as every time they are released on bail, they go back and commit more crimes.

The woman had stolen a mobile phone in Mumbai and used the number to post on Facebook. They took up a room at a lodge in the Majestic area. After Aravind contacted the number they had posted, Mahadevi joined as a full-time maid. On May 6, when the couple were out attending a business meeting, she stole the valuables and escaped.

The women sold the valuables to a jewellery shop in Mumbai, according to the police.

Vanitha has been convicted of similar crimes since she was a minor. She gave birth to a child when she was in jail. Curiously, she always admits to her crimes in court and gets the minimum sentence, police said.