Theft worth 1 crore at Myntra CEO's house, Maid confesses to crime; But is that all?

Do not trust anyone blindly and this incident, perhaps, has opened many eyes in the city. Back from a vacation, the Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan found himself to a looted houses. And the culprit, it turned out, was his housemaid and ex-driver. The maid, Bhavani Muppudathi, has confessed to her crime. Cops are on the lookout of the former driver Suresh and his sister Pushpa who are at large. The stolen jewellery too is yet to be found.

It is said that Suresh and Bhavani were in a relationship for the last two years and wanted to get married. They however wanted to be financially stable before they got married and decided to rob the house. A native of Tamil Nadu, Suresh had quit his job as the driver and started hatching a plan. Naturally, the two had observed the lavish lifestyle of the family and had dreamt of a similar life. Bhavani had access to the rooms, which made their work easier. Speaking to the Bangalore Mirror, the investigating officer said, "The CEO, along with his family, had gone abroad recently on a vacation. Bhavani was at home and found it to be the right time to commit the theft."

Narayanan's house had four other employees, apart from Bhavani- Sumanth, the cook, Arogya Das, the gardener-cum-dog handler; and Anita and Easai Mathi. None of them were around when the theft took place. The officer added, "When Bhavani was alone in the house, she managed to get the cupboard keys from the wife’s vanity bag and stole all the diamond and gold ornaments from the cupboards. She then handed over the booty to Suresh, who had come in a car along with Pushpa from Tamil Nadu."

Suresh, in an intelligent move, had asked Bhavani not to call him until he had sold the jewellery and bought a house.Meanwhile, on November 6, Narayanan filed a complaint with the Cubbon Park police regarding the theft of 7 diamond necklaces, four diamond bracelets, 24 pairs of gold earrings, apart from other jewellery, all amounting to Rs 1 crore. He reported that he had last seen the jewellery on August 30.

Initially, all the five employees were suspected, but on further investigation, police found Bhavani's fingerprints on the cupboards. They indicated that she had opened them. When she was interrogated, she confessed to the crime. She has been remanded in judicial custody. The Cubbon Park police have registered a case of servant theft under Section 381 of the Indian Penal Code. 

While this is one perspective of the case, there is another that has got us thinking. The influence that the rich have on the lives and the psyche of the poor. Many would criticise this perspective, but sadly it is true. It is a human tendency to dream big and aspire to make a big living. Some know their limitations and some do not. Drawing the line between the reality and the achievable is not something all of us have mastered. In such a situation, we compare our lives with the un-achievable. We tend to be misguided by our instincts and give in to temptation and provocation. But does that mean, the rich do not have the right to live their lives?

Absolutely not, but be careful. Why tempt someone with something that is beyond his reach. Isn't that forcing the person into crime? In this case, it was a mistake to keep the valuables at home when the entire family was outside for a vacation. Otherwise too, they could have been kept in a bank locker, instead of inviting crimes as heinous as murder or theft. That could have saved a number of lives. It should come to us as a social responsibility. 

• karnataka
• south
• myntra ceo
• theft
• crime
• police
• investigation