Kolkata maid flaunts stolen gold in YouTube Shorts; employer spots her jewelry

A Kolkata woman discovered her missing gold jewelry when she saw her former maid wearing it in a YouTube Shorts video. Police arrested the maid and recovered the stolen items.​  

In a startling case of digital-age crime detection, a Behala-based family in Kolkata uncovered a theft when they spotted their former maid wearing their missing gold jewelry in her YouTube Shorts videos.​

Entrepreneur Sanchita Mukherjee and her husband, Samiran, residents of Unique Park, had employed Purnima Mondal (35) as a domestic help for three years. Mondal abruptly left her job in October 2024. It wasn't until April 2025 that the Mukherjees realized some gold ornaments were missing.​

"Mondal was fixated on uploading new reels called Shorts on YouTube. She would dance even on the roads and put them up. However, being illiterate, she could not read the comments in the comment section and often sought my help. I was checking one such short video and realized she was wearing my jewelry," Mukherjee told The Times of India.​

Suspicious, Mukherjee saved the video and filed a complaint with the Parnasree police. A subsequent raid on Mondal's residence led to the recovery of two gold earrings belonging to Mukherjee and a finger ring belonging to her husband, the TOI report added.​

"We followed up on the case and are expecting some further recoveries of stolen items from other residences where Mondal worked," said a senior investigating officer.​

Mukherjee expressed gratitude for the swift police action but remains uncertain if more items are missing: "Frankly, I do not even know if my former maid stole something more since I cannot check my entire house. But I am thankful that the cops took my complaint seriously and acted quickly."​

In light of the incident, Lalbazar police have issued an advisory emphasizing the importance of securing valuables, verifying domestic help, and avoiding financial discussions in their presence. "A few simple steps need to be followed to stop chances of becoming victims of such crimes.

This includes locking the almirahs, getting the servants verified, and avoiding financial discussions," said a senior officer from the anti-burglary section at Lalbazar.​