The Malad police have filed a case against a 28-year-old employee of an online platform for allegedly stealing gold ornaments worth Rs5.15 lakh from the house of a Malad West resident, Daw Samdup. The theft occurred after Samdup had booked a home haircut service through the Urban Company website on November 1, 2024.
According to the police report, Samdup, a 39-year-old private company employee, arranged for the haircut via the online platform. The following day, Shehjaz Pathan, the accused, contacted Samdup and confirmed he would visit his residence for the scheduled service. Pathan arrived around 12:30 pm the next day, and Samdup led him to his bedroom for the haircut.
While cutting Samdup’s hair, Pathan allegedly noticed dark spots on his face and offered an additional facial treatment, assuring Samdup that it would improve his complexion. Samdup agreed to the extra service, and Pathan began applying various creams to his face. He then placed a cloth strip over Samdup’s eyes and instructed him not to remove it for a while.
During the treatment, Samdup heard a noise resembling the sound of a cupboard being opened. However, he assumed it was just Pathan accidentally bumping into it and did not pay much attention. After completing the facial treatment, Pathan took his payment and left the house.
It wasn’t until later that Samdup discovered his cupboard had been opened. Upon inspecting the items inside, he found that several gold ornaments were missing, including a 35-gram gold chain, a 25-gram gold chain, and a 21-gram gold bangle. Samdup first asked his mother if she had taken the ornaments, but she denied any involvement.
Suspecting Pathan was responsible, Samdup reported the incident to the police, who promptly filed a case under section 305(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with theft in dwelling houses. The police have launched an investigation into the matter and are working to locate Pathan.
This incident highlights the growing concern over thefts during home service appointments and emphasizes the importance of vetting service providers carefully, even when they are from reputed online platforms.
