Mumbai: Maid who robs and disappears held for 30th time in Govandi

Vanita alias Aasha Shailendra Gaikwad 32 an intrepid thief has been caught 30 times for robbing her employers homes On Wednesday she was caught for the 30th time for robbing the home of a professor from a reputable Mumbai college back in January this year After three months on the run she was finally arrestedfrom GovandiGaikwads life of crime started 18 years ago when she was just 14 and her modus operandi is to rob her employers on the very first day on the job the police said She mostly targets wealthy homeowners in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Mumbai Thane Navi MumbaiModus OperandiThe police said Gaikwad would approach the watchmen of random buildings in the city and ask them whether anyone there was looking for a maid She would then share her number with the guard and request him to introduce her to the person concerned Once introduced Gaikwad would fix a date to start working And every single time on the very first day she would steal ornaments and cash and never return Gaikwad is a mother of three two of whom live with her estranged husband and one with her mother In 2007 she gave birth to a child while in Byculla jailAn officer said She is so wily that whenever her employers ask for her documents for police verification she would tell them she would bring them in a day or two and disappear on day one itselfPleading guiltAccording to the police whenever she was produced before court she would plead guilty in front of the magistrate knowing she could get away with minimum punishment if found guilty and save on advocate fees and bail bond money The court sometimes lets off special cases only on suretyLatest caseIn the latest case the FIR was registered in January this year at Santacruz police station by a woman professor who lives in a plush society in Santacruz She told the police that her maid who had been introduced to her by a watchman disappeared after day one and also stole jewellery worth R5 lakh from her houseEver since Investigating officer API Suresh Valvi and his team had been searching for her It was a touch search as Gaikwad used to change both her location as well as her cellphone numbers all the time On Wednesday evening Valvi got a tipoff from his sources and Gaikwad was caught from Lallu Bhai Compound in Govandi Senior PI Shriram Koregaonkar of Santacruz police station said The accused has been arrested under section 381 theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master of IPC further investigation in the matter is underwaySeven months ago in September 2018 she was arrested by the Khar police after robbing a newly married woman in Khar She stole gold ornaments worth R4 lakh from the house The police later arrested her from Navi MumbaiAn officer from Santacuruz Police has said We are in the process of getting details of undetected cases in 2019 where her modus operandi has been used to steal jewellery and cash DCP Paramjit Singh Dahiya said We are probing to see if she is involved in other similar cases registered across the cityExpertSpeakAdvocate Falguni Brahmbhatt said If the accused is a habitual offender then the prosecution should oppose hisher bail application strongly by convincing the court that if the accused is out on bail then the chances of such a person indulging in more such offences are higher After being granted bail and being aware that he or she is likely to get bail they tend to indulge in the same offences and become habitual offenders Also in such circumstances being aware of the fact that they may be released on bail they plead guilty as they get benefits such as minimum quantum of punishmentHow did Gaikwad get off lightly each timeThe accused pleads guilty before the magistrate court in her very first remand which is one of the strongest grounds to get bail early even if the offence is nonbailable Apart from this Gaikwad used to convince the court that she had nobody to take care of her three children as her husband is estranged This is another strong reason for her being granted bailRegistered casesJuhu police station 9 cases from 2011 to 2016Santacruz police station 3 cases from 2010 to 2019Khar police station 7 cases 2010 to 2018Bandra police station 2 cases 2011 and 2017Versova police station 3 cases 2014 to 2016DN Nagar police station 1 case in 2016Oshiwara police station 2 cases 2012 and 2016Byculla police station 1 case in 2016Marine Drive police station 1 case in 2016Tardeo police station 1 case in 2010Total number of registered cases 30The police said this number could go above 100 after they check other detected cases before 2010Also ReadMumbai Two maids held for stealing Rs 12 lakh from Matunga residentCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates