The Hindu : New Delhi News : Focus on servant verification Law & order

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Saturday, May 31, 2008
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Focus on servant verification Law & order

Recent incidents should act as
eye-opener for those who hire helps without cross-checking, says Devesh K. Pandey

The recent incidents of robbery and murder in the Capital involving domestic helps should act as an eye-opener for not only the police but also those who hire servants without getting their credentials cross-checked. In view of the spate of such incidents, senior citizens -- who happen to be soft targets for criminals operating in the garb of domestic help -- are the most worried lot.

There is a marked difference between domestic help-related cases reported in the past and those being reported now. The recent cases indicate that several helps have sought employment for the sole purpose of robbery at the first opportunity. It has been noticed that such elements strike well before their identities are verified by their employers through the police. In at least two recent cases reported in Amar Colony and Neeti Bagh -- in which the victims were brutally done to death -- the police found that the employers had either submitted the verification form for further inquiry or had failed to submit it.

“It is easy for a criminal in the guise of a domestic help to know where the valuables have been kept. Through this modus operandi they also manage to circumvent the precaution and resistance that the victims would offer in case the culprit was a stranger. Besides, an ‘insider’ would also have the advantage of striking at will,” said a police officer, stating that lacing meals with sedatives to incapacitate the victims was the most common method employed.

The Delhi police had recently smashed one such group comprising Bangladeshi nationals who after getting employed as domestic helps would drug their employers, mostly senior citizens, and decamp with the valuables. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they would first win the confidence of the drivers and washermen of the area to get jobs.

Through various means the police have been spreading awareness among the public about the importance of servant verification but it has not brought about the desired results as most people give little priority to servant verification. Another reason is that the verification exercise itself is too time-consuming. According to police records, only 7,347 senior citizens have so far got themselves registered with the senior citizens’ cell.

Given that the demand for domestic helps in the Capital is not going to decline, a way to address the problem would be to set up a central body to monitor authorised placement agencies. However, the senior citizens would be well advised to adhere to the age-old maxim, “Never trust a stranger.”

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