Maid of dishonour

A Dwarka resident duped by her domestic help whom she had hired from a placement agency

Maid of dishonour

A Dwarka residentu00a0 duped by her domestic help whom she had hired from a placement agency

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If you thought hiring a domestic help from placement agencies that advertise their services in newspapers was a safe bet, think again. Cases of such agencies duping people and fleeing with cash have been on rise in the CapitalA resident of Dwarka, Monika Bansal, was the latest victim of such fraud.

In-cash: A receipt like the one given by Anjali Placement Agency is no guarantee
that your new maid will not be a fraud. Pic/Mid Day

Bansal, who is a Charted Accountant, had called up Anjali placement agency in South Delhi's Chirag Dilli area after seeing their advertisement in a newspaper. "I have a busy schedule, so I decided to hire a maid to help me with my domestic chores.

I called the agency and told them about my need. A person called Sunil, who claimed to be the owner of the agency, brought a maid named Sangeeta to my place on January 21. I paid Rs 13,800 to the maid as the placement agency's commission and agreed to pay Rs 1,800 as her monthly salary. After two hours of staying at my place, the maid asked me if she could go for a walk. I agreed. She went out but never returned," said Bansal.

In order to avoid suspicion, the agency owner had carried all the necessary documents with him that were drafted very professionally,u00a0 and even gave everything in writing on a Rs 10 stamp paper. "We asked the agency for the servant verification papers but the owner said that the maid was with us now and we can get that done anytime we wanted.

After the maid ran away, we started calling the agency but found the numbers mentioned on their receipts switched off," she addedu00a0Senior police officials say such cases have become rampant these days. "The modus operandi of these fake placement agencies is very simple.

These agencies are not registered and advertise in leading newspapers, promising to provide maids. Generally, they provide the addresses that are in far flung areas, which people find difficult to reach. The maids are taught how to flee from the house the next morning without stealing anything as this could land them in trouble. They easily make around Rs 10,000 from every deal," said a senior police official, wishing anonymity.

According to official figures, 110 placement agencies have been registered in the capital under the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act of 1954. However, unofficial figures peg the number of illegal agencies here at around 2,400.u00a0

"We are looking into the complaint. However, I would advice citizens that they should stay alert as well. Verifying the antecedents of the maidu00a0 by the police is advisable. People should trust only reputed placement agencies and personally visit their offices before taking in the maid," he added.

Two duped 100

Last year, two men were arrested in the capital for duping over 100 people after promising them of providing domestic maids, caretakers, nannies and nurses through their fake placement agency. The accused Salim Turkey and Bahuran Kumaru00a0 were arrested from South Delhiu00a0 after a retired government officer Jagdish Narayan made a complaint in this regard. "The accused promised him of making available a domestic maid for a sum of Rs.10,000 as registration charges and salary of Rs.1,800 per month," said a police officer.
"The duo visited Narayan's home and introduced a woman to the family. The accused filled up the necessary forms and took Rs.10,000 from them. After that the accused disappeared. Narayan later found that the address of the placement agency given in the pamphlet was fake," the officer added.

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