Mumbai woman books Diwali cleaning service on app and gets robbed of Rs 4 lakh

A 55-year-old woman from Mumbai fell victim to a Diwali cleaning scam and lost her gold ornaments worth ₹4 million. She booked a cleaning service using a mobile app that sent two people to her home. Thieves allegedly stole valuables during the cleanup.

Two people allegedly stole valuables while they were on the job.

The incident highlighted concerns about the safety and reliability of hiring cleaning staff through online platforms. Police arrested 27-year-old Arbaz Khan and detained two others for questioning.

Attack

Leena Mhatre, who lives at Rishikesh Society in Dahisar, Mumbai, had booked a cleaning service for October 21 in preparation for Diwali. She booked the NoBroker app service. Two people arrived at her house the next morning around 9am. While they were allegedly cleaning, Mhatre later discovered that her locker had been opened and her gold ornaments were missing.

Realizing the theft only after the cleaners had left, Mhatre quickly contacted the police and filed a complaint. Authorities arrested 27-year-old Arbaz Khan, considered the main suspect in the theft. After reviewing the association’s CCTV footage, the police identified two other persons, Santosh Omprakash Yadav and Sufiyan Nazeer Ahmad Soudar, who are currently being interrogated.

Investigation and regulations

The Police are investigating whether the NoBroker app conducted pre-employment background checks, the Free Press Journal reports. Constable Sandip Gorde said regulations require police vetting of all service workers, including cleaning staff, before they are assigned to private residences.

“We are checking whether NoBroker has verified these employees before assigning them. Since the incident, the app has blocked their IDs,” Gorde told Lokmat.

Despite the growing popularity of online cleaning services, the lack of regulatory oversight in this industry is concerning. Most platforms advertise themselves as reliable and professional, but few provide concrete evidence of thorough background checks on employees.

This event serves as a clear reminder to consumers be careful when hiring services through digital platformsespecially in the absence of stringent regulatory measures. WITH Diwali just around the corner, the need to remain vigilant is more urgent than ever.