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Santacruz police lay trap to arrest domestic worker in online scam

Updated on: 21 February,2026 07:20 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Shirish Vaktania | mailbag@mid-day.com

Acting on a complaint, Santacruz police coordinated with the e-commerce platform and caught the accused red-handed while he arrived to collect high-end smartphones worth Rs 9.8 lakh

Santacruz police lay trap to arrest domestic worker in online scam

Subhash Kumar Singh, the accused

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What began as a routine hiring to help an elderly couple cope with health issues quickly spiralled into a costly betrayal in Santacruz West. Within days of joining their home, a 28-year-old domestic worker allegedly stole his 73-year-old employer’s phone and credit card and used them to order nearly Rs 9.8 lakh worth of smartphones online. Police tracked the trail, laid a trap at the delivery point, and arrested him while he arrived to collect the goods, recovering the phones and restoring the money.

Representation pic/iStockRepresentation pic/iStock


15
No.  of smartphones ordered



Accused profile
Name: Subhash Kumar Singh
Age: 28
Job: Domestic servant
Joined household: About one week before incident
Police say he had recently been placed in the job through a service provider.

Case snapshot

Location: Santacruz West
Police station: Santacruz police
Accused: Subhash Kumar Singh, 28
Victim: Ravi Mahavir Prakash, 73
Total fraudulent purchase: Approx R9.8 lakh
Items ordered: About 15 smartphones
Arrest: At delivery point in Sahar area

Rs 9.8L
Worth of smartphones ordered online

How the theft happened

Dates: February 16-17
 
Police say the accused:
. Stole the victim’s phone, credit card, and R4000 cash
. Left the house early morning on Feb 17
. Used the victim’s phone to access OTPs and passwords
. Placed online orders for multiple high-end phones
. The victim and his wife had hired the accused through a domestic services company due to health concerns

Online fraud details

Platform used: Flipkart
Total value of orders: About Rs 9.8 lakh
Devices ordered: Roughly 15 smartphones
Police said the accused used the victim’s phone to authenticate payments through OTP verification

Recovery and refund

Police coordinated with Flipkart.
Outcome:
. Orders cancelled/returned
. Products taken back
. Full amount restored to victim’s credit card

What happened

. Police monitored the delivery point
. Delivery agent arrived with parcels
. Accused appeared to collect them
. Police arrested him on the spot
. All phones seized immediately

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