Kolkata police recommends mandatory verification of caregivers to prevent household crimes

Kolkata: Kolkata Police recommended mandatory verification of household employees through its digital registration system, after it was found that domestic help and caregivers have figured in nearly one-third of the theft cases reported in the city in the past couple of months, an officer said on Sunday.

The officer cited internal statistics compiled by the Kolkata Police which found 32 of the 104 thefts reported between December 2025 and January 2026 involved maids, servants or caregivers.

This was roughly 31 per cent of the total, he said, adding that the statistics by the Detective Department was internally shared among the personnel and not for the media.

The trend has continued in February, with three of the 11 cases registered in the first week allegedly linked to domestic staff, he said.

"The pattern underlines growing vulnerability within residential premises, particularly homes with elderly residents," the officer explained.

In one of the most serious recent incidents, a female senior citizen was murdered at Behala, allegedly by her former caregiver, he said.

"Employees having no verification of identity pose a significant security risk and we are appealing to residents to complete "Domestic Help Profile" registration, either through the Kolkata Police 'Bondhu' mobile application or the official website," he said.

In case of elderly citizens who are not tech savvy, their children or younger members of family must be approached for assistance as these measures should not be delayed, the officer said.

The form seeks detailed information about workers, including identity proof, permanent address and photographs, which can help in background checks and faster investigation in case of offences, he said.

The officer said that awareness drives are being strengthened across police station areas to encourage compliance, especially in apartment complexes and neighbourhoods with a high proportion of elderly citizens living alone.

"Timely verification and documentation of domestic workers could also act as a deterrent and significantly reduce the chances of theft and other crimes within households," he said.

Somnath Das, who runs a caregiver centre at Bansdroni area, said he has the database of around 250 caregivers mostly from South 24 Parganas and in nearby south Kolkata outskirts.

"We strictly go by original Aadhaar and voter cards of the people we employ and share their details with local Netajinagar police station. However, the fly-by-night caregiver centres that have surfaced in recent times don't follow such rigorous procedures and give us a bad name," Das said.

It is important for every client to be on guard against the black sheep, he said.