Hardoi Cash Heist: Trusted Domestic Workers Drug Merchant, Flee with ₹1.28 crore

For almost seven years three young domestic workers lived under the same roof as a wholesale grocery merchant in Hardoi, becoming almost family to the Agrawal household. That trust, however, turned into the linchpin of one of the district’s biggest residential cash thefts.

According to the police, the whole plot was hatched by Ajay Shukla – the brother‑in‑law of the merchant’s accountant – who knew the family habitually kept large bundles of cash at home. He allegedly recruited the three workers, including 20‑year‑old Shobhit and two juveniles, to pull off the job.

Initially, the trio balked. After repeated persuasion, they began watching the family’s routine, noting when the cash was stored and mapping the house layout. The planning took about a week.

On the night of July 16, the conspirators slipped sleeping pills into the dinner served to merchant Pankaj Agrawal and his wife. When the couple fell into a deep slumber, the three entered the second‑floor bedroom, pried open an almirah and lifted eight heavy bags full of cash.

Outside, a pickup driven by Ajay, along with his associates Shivam and Badan, waited. The bags were loaded and the gang fled the scene. The next day the Agrawals lodged an FIR, though they did not disclose the exact amount stolen.

Investigators pored over footage from roughly 150 CCTV cameras, combed through electronic records and carried out raids across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi. The breakthrough came when police detained Shobhit and the two juveniles; their statements unraveled a wider network.

After escaping Hardoi, the thieves reportedly reached Lucknow, where a known history‑sheeter from Barabanki, Aman, and his associate Mahfooz alias Lali, were said to have taken custody of a large chunk of the loot for safekeeping and distribution.

In total, 16 people were arrested – Ajay Shukla, Shivam, Badan, Shobhit, Deepak, Sunny Gupta, Vishal, Param Kishore, Keshav, Sunny Valmiki, Neeraj, Prince and the two juveniles. Police recovered ₹1,28,99,310 in cash, ranging from ₹10 notes to ₹500 notes.

Officials say the hunt is still on for the remaining cash and any other accomplices who may still be at large.