MUMBAI: The househelp of renowned Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, and producer Swati Bhise was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stealing several of Bhise’s costly sarees and dress materials while she was away on a work trip to the United States.
Police revealed that Bhise frequently travels for her professional commitments. In March 2025, she left for the US and returned in September. During her absence, her personal assistant Natasha Petawala managed the household along with two full-time and three part-time staff members.
On October 6, while preparing for an event, Bhise discovered that several of her expensive sarees were missing from her bedroom cupboard. The missing items included a Tussar silk saree, a Banarasi saree, a Chanderi Lucknow saree, an Ikkat saree, and a dress material, police said.
Two full-time househelps, Anju Kerkatta and Anjana Bada, who reside in the servant quarters of Bhise’s Malabar Hill residence, came under suspicion. Upon searching, police found one of the missing sarees in Bada’s belongings.
Based on Bhise’s complaint, a case was registered against Anjana Bada under Section 306 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with theft committed by a servant or clerk. Bada was arrested and subsequently remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by the court.
