Cancer patient, mom-in-law drugged & robbed by caregiver

Kolkata: A 58-year-old cancer patient, Subhra Sarkar Das, and her 83-year-old mother-in-law Roma, were allegedly drugged by their former maid-cum-caregiver on Tuesday evening and robbed of valuables estimated around Rs 4.5 lakh. The money was kept in a locker in the house and was meant for meeting expenses for Subhra's treatment at two cancer hospitals in Kolkata and Mumbai.The incident was reported from Sodepur Road near Sakherbazar. By Wednesday morning, the cops had arrested the caregiver, Sanjana Sarkar alias Sanju Sarkar, and her husband, Baidyanath. Cops recovered cash and valuables worth Rs 2 lakh.Meanwhile, the victims continued to feel the effects of being drugged — while Subhra gained full consciousness only on Wednesday morning, Roma is still disoriented and may need more rest, a doctor said.Cops said Baidyanath was the mastermind behind the crime and he had been involved in crimes in the past. Police have warned that this incident is a reminder of why background checks on caregivers and domestic help are a must. This is the third incident of maids looting their employers reported in the past week, with two other cases reported from Salt Lake and Garfa. The cops have issued an advisory on the process to follow while hiring new maids.According to Roma's son Avijit and her daughter Anindita, Sanju was engaged about eight months ago to take care of the two women. "She worked here for four months before she quit. She must have completed her recce at that time. Around 5 pm on Tuesday, she suddenly turned up and called my mother. Sanju said she had just come to meet them and would like to have a cup of tea with them. My mother went to prepare tea and Subhra was having a health drink. Sanju called my brother and asked when he would be back home. On being assured that he would not be back till late evening, she drugged the tea and the health drink. She first drugged Subhra on the pretext of giving her medicine. When both victims became semi-conscious, she stole the valuables and fled," Anindita told TOI.Avijit returned around 7.30 pm and discovered the theft. "We lodged an FIR under sections 109, 123, 305 and 61(2) of BNS on the basis of the letter of complaint written by Avijit. During the investigation, Baidyanath was arrested on Tuesday itself, and on Wednesday morning, we arrested Sanju. Following the interrogation, Rs 2 lakh was recovered from their home," said DC (southwest-Behala) Rahul De.Police recently issued an advisory saying one is vulnerable to thefts even when inside the house. "One must lock almirahs, get servants verified, and avoid financial discussions before them. Hiring from trusted agencies is better," said an officer from the anti-burglary section at Lalbazar.