A Bengaluru couple’s trust was shattered when their new live-in maid, Devonita Karmakaru, disappeared with gold jewelry worth Rs. 2. 3 lakh just five days after joining their household. Mr. and Mrs. Deb, an area business manager, had posted an ad for domestic help on Facebook. Devonita came to the house to help with cleaning and cooking on a part-time basis and later on, she agreed to work as a live-in maid from December 11.

The couple welcomed her into their home, provided her with a room, and collected her Aadhaar card which later on was found to be forged. All seemed well until December 16 when Abhijit left for work and his wife together with her father were left in the house. His wife slept through the night and when she woke up in the afternoon, Devonita was now missing. Her phone was also switched off and the couple’s gold jewelry including bangles, a chain, earrings and a mangalsutra were missing.

The items that were stolen were worth a total of Rs. 2. 3 lakh. Horrified, the couple made a police report and the Hebbal police launched an investigation. This is because Abhijit said that he did not know that there was a proper way of verifying whether the domestic workers were fit for the job. He also pointed out that several actions of Devonita, for instance, cooking without their knowledge, made him and his wife wonder whether she was who she said she was.

This case is quite revealing of the dangers of employing people through social media platforms especially without conducting appropriate background checks. The couple’s experience is a lesson to other people who are in the process of searching for domestic helps.