Shehnaz Shaikh, the house help of model and actress Nehaa Malik, was arrested by Amboli police on Monday in connection with the theft of jewellery worth Rs 34.49 lakh from the actress’s residence in Andheri West.
The theft came to light after Manju Malik, Nehaa’s mother, filed a complaint accusing Shaikh of stealing jewellery from a drawer at their Adani Heights complex. Shaikh, aged 37, had been working in the house since February.
According to police sources, Manju Malik kept her jewellery in an unlocked wooden drawer in the bedroom, in the presence of Shaikh, who had often helped clean the room. On April 24, Manju placed her jewellery in the drawer, and the next day, Shehnaz arrived for work, claiming she needed money for rent. Manju gave her an advance of Rs 9,000.
However, when Shehnaz failed to show up for work on April 26, Manju grew suspicious and, after multiple attempts to reach her, found the jewellery was missing. Upon further inspection, she realized that Shehnaz had likely stolen it.
Manju immediately informed her daughter, Nehaa Malik, and the family approached the police to file an FIR. An officer stated, “The FIR was registered under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC, and we are continuing with the investigation.”
Following the complaint, the police arrested Shehnaz from JB Nagar, Andheri, and successfully recovered the stolen jewellery.
