Clunky verification process makes going easy for Nepalese helps in Ludhiana
The Ludhiana police are scrambling to find leads in this case, as well as four other similar incidents reported in the city this year
A recent robbery at the residence of former cabinet minister Jagdish Singh Garcha has once again brought attention to the issue of repeated robbery incidents involving Nepalese domestic helps.
The Ludhiana police are scrambling to find leads in this case, as well as four other similar incidents reported in the city this year.
The alarming rise in robberies executed by Nepalese domestic helps at their employers’ homes shows no signs of abating, with most of the cases remaining unsolved.
Police officials have acknowledged that while they have established procedures to check criminal records of migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other states, no such mechanism exists for Nepalese migrants due to their status as citizens of a foreign country. Consequently, the police have only managed to solve two cases involving
Nepalese domestic helps, one in 2022 and another in 2021.
Police verification a cumbersome process
According to the data provided by Mool Parvah Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj, Ludhiana is home to more than 8,000 Nepalese citizens employed in various sectors, including as cooks and domestic helps.
Failure to establish a streamlined police verification process for these individuals poses significant challenges for law enforcement.
To verify the identities of Nepalese migrants, the police must send their details to the Nepal government through the home ministry, which is a lengthy and time-consuming process.
Additionally, they face logistical hurdles in arresting suspects located in Nepal, necessitating cooperation with the ministry of foreign affairs.
In the case of the recent robbery at the house of the former cabinet minister, the police remain clueless even about the name of the domestic help responsible for the crime.
Family members have admitted that they were unaware of his name, referring to him only as ‘Bahadur.’ Without a photograph of the suspect, investigating officers are sifting through pictures from family functions and CCTV footage in the area for any possible leads.
Commissioner of police Mandeep Singh Sidhu assured the public that several teams have been formed to apprehend the culprit.
Past incidents
On September 11, a Nepalese woman domestic help, with the help of her two accomplices, had allegedly sedated her employer, his wife and decamped with cash, jewellery besides other valuables from a house in Phase-2 of Urban Estate, Focal Point.
On May 16, a Nepalese domestic help, hired 12 days ago, robbed the house of his employer at Sector 32-A at Chandigarh Road. At the time of the incident, the domestic help was alone at home. He decamped with ₹2 lakh, gold jewellery and a licenced revolver of his employer.
On May 2, a Nepalese domestic help with the help of her husband sedated an elderly woman in an attempt to rob the house in Ramandeep Colony of Mundian. The help was hired a month ago.
On April 27, a domestic help, who was hired two months ago, had allegedly decamped with cash and jewellery from the house of a retired banker in Tagore Nagar. The banker had hired the accused, identified as Alisha, to take care of his ailing wife. The Division number 8 police lodged an FIR against the accused.
Two cases that were solved
Two days after a Nepalese cook had decamped with cash from the house of his employer in Urban Estate Phase -1 of Dugri, the police had arrested the accused and recovered ₹78,000 from his possession On January 22, 2022.
Thirteen days after the robbery at the house of Model Town-based industrialist by Nepalese help, his wife and two aides, the police had nabbed one of their accomplices near Nepal Border on July 16, 2021. The accused was trying to escape to Nepal, while the rest of the accused had managed to reach Nepal.